Following the Miami Dolphins’ worst loss of the season, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa cited his lack of height for not being able to target his receivers downfield, saying “you don’t just want to throw it blindly.”
Well, that’s exactly what he did in his latest outing — and it resulted in his best performance of the season.
Tagovailoa woke up with his left eye swollen shut on Sunday morning, and proceeded to complete 20 of 26 passes for 205 yards and four touchdowns en route to a monumental 34-10 road victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
The field general wasn’t sure what caused the swelling beyond some sort of illness, but all that mattered to him was that his team got the win.
“This was probably one of the best team wins we’ve had,” Tagovailoa told reporters after the win. “This is the sort of swag we’ve got to carry over to next week.”
The Dolphins trudged into Atlanta on the heels of a 31-6 beatdown from the Cleveland Browns — an embarrassing showing in which Tagovailoa threw three interceptions for the second straight game.
The blowout loss punctuated a brutal 1-6 start and heightened an already tense locker room atmosphere in Miami.
Head coach Mike McDaniels added fuel to the fire ahead of the team’s trip to Atlanta when he seemingly fired a jab at his quarterback after confirming he’d start against the Falcons.
Amid speculation around his job security, McDaniel emphasized that his expectation was for the team to not “throw ten picks,” in reference to Tagovailoa’s ten interceptions on the season.
Tagovailoa, sporting a protective visor, promptly responded with his cleanest game of the year, hurling four touchdown passes with no interceptions for a season-high 138.6 passer rating.
“It feels good, but any time you can get a win, it’s the best feeling,” said the 27-year-old signal caller. “People are gonna talk, they’re gonna say what they think they need to say but this is our job.”
After the contest, Tagovailoa gave props to McDaniel for calling a “great game,” also praising OC Frank Smith and his offensive line for their “phenomenal” execution.
Following a much-needed rebound game, the Dolphins (2-6) look to carry the momentum into their Thursday Night Football matchup against the Baltimore Ravens at home on Oct. 30.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
