The Miami Dolphins can’t do anything against the Bills, and Tyreek Hill seems to think the season hangs in the balance. But while some people believe Mike McDaniel should be let go, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is actually the Dolphins’ problem.
Here's an example of the issue. When the game plan must be structured in a way that prevents the quarterback from throwing the ball down the field — just to give the team a chance — it’s not the coach’s problem. It belongs on the shoulders of the quarterback.
Yes, Tagovailoa’s pick near the end of the game may have seemed like the defining moment. It wasn’t. It’s that the coach can’t trust Tua enough.
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa has regressed
The Dolphins averaged a meek 4.2 yards per passing attempt against the Bills. And that was the game plan. Plus, it was the correct game plan. That was the only way the Dolphins had a chance to beat the Bills.
To put it in perspective, Tagovailoa led the league in average yards per attempt in 2022. Let that sink in. He led the NFL with 8.9 yards per attempt. And in Thursday night’s game, he averaged less than half of that. He was “Horizontal Tua.” There was almost zero verticality to the Dolphins’ passing game.
Why? Because that’s what Tua brought to the table for this game. The safe mode kept the Dolphins in the game, but barely. There were times it seemed they were hanging off the cliff. Buffalo had two distinct chances to put the game away. The fact that the Bills didn’t capitalize kept Miami in it.
If that’s the best the Dolphins can be with Tua at quarterback these days, even with all of the weaponry at his disposal, he’s the liability.
Think about this: How would Patrick Mahomes do with the skill players the Dolphins have right now? Or even Josh Allen, for that matter. Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, De’Von Achane. These are game-breaking players. Get the picture? The Dolphins would be an offensive machine with an elite quarterback, even with McDaniel calling the shots.
Has Tua Tagovailoa lost confidence?
Tua basically admitted he’s not in the NFL elite level, according to Fox Sports.
“Dude, [Josh Allen is] top tier. If it's not with his arm, it's with his legs. That dude can do literally anything he wants,” Tagovailoa said. “Definitely different skill set for me. I can't do half of what he does when it comes to running the ball, and any of that. And then with how he can just chuck a ball down the field with how far and the arm strength that he has, he's supreme when it comes to that. It's going to be fun to get to see him, get to play him again. And we'll see.”
I mean, it sounds like Tua is a college player and looking up to his football hero.
Stephen A. Smith let Tua have it on First Take.
“If I were the Miami Dolphins front office, I’d be p—ed,” Smith said. “Let me tell you why. Did you say that when we were evaluating you coming into the National Football League? Did you say that during the interview process? To say that about another quarterback within your division, you ain’t giving me much of a chance to believe in you.”
Others have weighed in on Tua Tagovailoa's demise
Former NFL tight end and Super Bowl champion Luke Willson said during an appearance on “SportsCenter” that it’s not the best approach for Tua to take.
“Tua is the fifth pick overall (2020 NFL Draft),” Willson said. “This guy is supposed to have a lot of weapons here. He was at Alabama, the best college [football program] during the Nick Saban era for over a decade, it felt like. So to be like, ‘Yeah, he can do a lot of things I can’t do’ – and I think what made it worse and what made it really cringe was the fact that Miami looks horrible right now.”
So why is Tagovailoa getting paid so much, according to overthecap.com? He signed a four-year contract extension with the Dolphins, worth over $212 million. That’s a ton of cash for a quarterback who is clearly not elite at this point in his career.
It doesn’t come down to one play
Tua’s late-game interception was terrible. Let’s just call it what it was. It seemed like a mistake a college quarterback would get hammered for making. But Tagovailoa wasn’t playing lights out throughout the game. He was a mediocre game manager.
Honestly, there are probably a dozen, maybe more, backup quarterbacks in the NFL who could have started for the Dolphins on Thursday night and produced the same results. Plus, they might not have thrown that bad interception. And who knows, the game might have drifted into overtime. And anything can happen there.
This is why the focus shouldn’t be on McDaniel. The Dolphins looked horrible in Week 1, but McDaniel got the team regrouped. They had a chance to beat the Patriots and the Bills, even with questionable quarterback play. This is a sign of a good coach, not one who needs to be let go.
However, McDaniel is also a coach who has struggled to beat good teams. In his three seasons, he’s 3-14 after the loss to the Bills, according to his mark at the end of 2024 via a post on X by The Athletic.
It’s not like McDaniel is flawless. But his quarterback has regressed, and it’s making it difficult to find ways to get wins.
Tua went from leading the league in yards per attempt and touchdown percentage in 2022, yards passing in 2023, to completion percentage in 2024. It seems unlikely he will lead the league in anything in 2025.
Clearly, Tagovailoa has been a top-level quarterback. And there’s still reason to believe he can be good. But he’s not good right now, and the Dolphins’ season may already be in the tank.
