MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa felt pressure in the pocket, galloped diagonally toward his left side, and likely felt the collective angst building in the stadium with every step he took.
Tagovailoa tucked the football into his right hand and got his rear on the ground to slide. He rose to his feet and pointed toward the end zone to celebrate the first down. The crowd inside Hard Rock Stadium, already on their feet as Tagovailoa hit his stride, serenaded him by chanting his name.
“Tua! Tua! Tua!”
There hasn’t been a lot to celebrate this Dolphins season – especially when something as simple as Tagovailoa sliding after a 13-yard run gets the loudest ovation of the day. His return from his Sept. 12 concussion was spoiled as Kyler Murray rallied the Arizona Cardinals to a 28-27 win over Miami on Sunday.
But his sliding run was a moment to reaffirm the young quarterback’s decision to continue his playing career despite being the NFL’s face for concussions.
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“I thought that was super cool,” Tagovailoa said with a smile.
Added left tackle Terron Armstead: “This team and this city, we’ve been through some adversity for sure. So, it was a good moment just for Tua to be fearless.”
The adversity has hit the Dolphins again, falling to 2-5 after falling at home to Arizona. Murray threw two touchdowns in the game, led two touchdown drives in the second half and set up kicker Chad Ryland’s 34-yard, game-winning field goal in the victory.
Tagovailoa was able to complete a touchdown pass to running back De’Von Achane two plays after his run. The Dolphins went ahead 27-18 after running back Raheem Mostert’s second touchdown run in the game with 12:22 left.
But the decisive moment of the game was a bad snap by center Aaron Brewer that was a fastball for Tagovailoa to catch in the third quarter. The ball drifted into the end zone where Tagovailoa dove to hit it out of bounds. The play resulted in a safety, and killed Miami’s momentum.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel successfully challenged a first down catch by tight end Jonnu Smith with 6:51 left in the game, but Tagovailoa and the offense gained one yard on the next three plays and never saw the field again.
“It feels good, but [it’s] a tough loss against a really good team, so that diminishes not just what I’ve done, but a lot of what other guys have done individually as well,” Tagovailoa said after the game.
The Dolphins scored their season-high in points, thanks to three touchdown drives led by Tagovailoa in his return from a four-game absence after his latest concussion – the third documented concussion since 2022.
The Dolphins’ pre-snap motions led to creative plays instead of penalties by the offensive line and poor field position.
They were also proficient on third down, competing 11 of 15 opportunities on the day after entering with the sixth-worst conversion rate in the league.
It was the offense McDaniel envisioned Tagovailoa leading – outside of the miscues that plagued the day.
The Dolphins lost their second game in as many weeks where they led by at least 10 points. And the bad news is next week, they face the Buffalo Bills – who have won 12 of 14 games against Miami since Josh Allen entered the league.
“It’s the same thing over and over,” Tagovailoa said of Buffalo. “You’ve got to beat them.”
Tagovailoa was 28 of 38 for 234 yards on the day. His connection with Tyreek Hill was back, although Hill finished with just six catches for 72 yards. Jaylen Waddle finished with four catches for 45 yards. Achane led Miami with 147 yards total on the day.
More important, Tagovailoa was virtually unscathed. He was “sacked” just once, on his second play, but it was a tipped ball recovered by his offense. He was officially hit three times by the Cardinals in the game.
Tagovailoa’s long run was the only moment where all parties involved held their breath to see the outcome.
And it was a moment where Tagovailoa showed he willingly altered his game so he could keep himself healthy, effective, and out of harm’s way.
“It’s a big moment. The crowd definitely reacted to it, and he showed the growth in his game,” Waddle told USA TODAY Sports.
“I think it’s just continuing to practice that in practice,” Tagovailoa said, “kind of having a different mindset when running the ball or when I’m trying to escape the pocket and there’s nothing there, not trying to be a hero.”
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