One of the biggest talking points entering Dolphins–Jets in Week 14 looks to be a non-factor for Tua Tagovailoa as kickoff nears
How much do these forecasters get paid, again?!
So it seems that thing everyone was worried about with the Miami Dolphins’ Week 14 contest against the New York Jets may have been a false alarm. Miami is playing up north in December, set to face the Jets in an AFC East clash amid a chance for the Dolphins to move within one game of .500 on the season. These games always come with a little bit of fine print, however.
It’s cold! The Dolphins, by reputation, don’t do well in the cold! Especially quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. But today’s kickoff in East Rutherford, New Jersey offers a little different data point than the talking point has been all week long.
Temperature forecast today for kickoff of Dolphins versus Jets fluctuating between 43-45 degrees
The current forecast for kickoff, according to Weather.com, has the temperature scheduled to be 44 degrees. As I’ve been writing this, it’s bumped up to 45, down to 43, and then back again. So while Tagovailoa’s abilities in cold weather have drawn plenty of interest this week, it appears as though Miami will avoid sub-40 degree temperatures, at least for most of the game, which is a blessing given how poor the numbers and record are when the game starts cold.
Instead, the temperature at kickoff falls in still historically challenging but kinder bucket of circumstances for Tagovailoa than sub-40 degrees. In his career as an NFL starter, Tagovailoa has played in three games that had the temperate at kickoff between 40-49 degrees fahrenheit. He’s 1-2 as a starter in those games with a 64% completion rate while averaging 212 passing yards per game.
Tagovailoa’s one win in three starts with the temperature between 40-49 degrees? You guessed it — the New York Jets on Black Friday in 2023. Miami won that game 34-13 with a strong second-half performance. The Dolphins are happy to win any way that they can these days, but another score like Tua’s first win against the Jets in cold weather would likely be a welcomed development for everyone involved today. It’s not that cold, so there’s no excuses.
Tua Tagovailoa career games in 40-49 degree weather at kickoff
- Today versus New York Jets (Week 14, 2025)
- Black Friday game versus New York Jets (Week 12, 2023)
- Christmas Day game versus Green Bay Packers (Week 16, 2022)
- At Denver Broncos (Week 11, 2020)
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