Time for Tua Tagovailoa to overcome Buffalo Bills
It's simple: The Miami Dolphins need Tua Tagovailoa at his best versus the Buffalo Bills if it wants to take home the AFC East crown and secure the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs. This is a must-win for the Dolphins, as they have already punched their ticket to the postseason. Losing has major […]
It's simple: The Miami Dolphins need Tua Tagovailoa at his best versus the Buffalo Bills if it wants to take home the AFC East crown and secure the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs.
This is a must-win for the Dolphins, as they have already punched their ticket to the postseason. Losing has major ramifications with playoff seeding and home-field advantage. A Miami loss, plus a Kansas City Chiefs win, would knock the Dolphins down to the No. 6 seed since the Chiefs beat them a few weeks ago.
Fortunately, the Dolphins control their destiny on Sunday Night and if they take care of business, it takes just one slip-up from the Baltimore Ravens -the team that put up a 50-burger on Miami a week ago- and the AFC's road to the Super Bowl runs through South Beach.
Josh Allen and Bills have Tua Tagovailoa's number
Tagovailoa has faced Josh Allen and the Bills six times in his career. He sits with a 1-5 record. His lone win came last season in the "controversial" concussion game in a 21-19 victory.
Not to make things worse, Tagovailoa's statistics are not pretty when he faces Sean McDermott's defense.
In his five games versus Buffalo, he has thrown for 1,281 yards, 60.9 completion %, five touchdowns, and five interceptions. He has to reverse this history on Sunday night.
What makes this easier said than done, outside the Bills themselves, is the fact Tagovailoa will have to do this without star wideout Jaylen Waddle and running back Raheem Mostert, who has 21 total touchdowns on the year. Tyreek and DeVon Achane are banged up, as well, but they will play.
Mistake-free football Tua
Tua Tagovailoa has played good football this season and the numbers prove that. Accounting for, 4,451 passing yards, and 28 passing touchdowns while completing nearly 70% of his passes.
The issue has been turnover-worthy plays (tracked by PFF). He has 20 TWPs this season and 12 interceptions. Additionally, Tagovailoa ranks 11th in the league.
The Dolphins need him to protect the football and play mistake-free. Do not give the Bills short fields and opportunities to wear down the defense. Dealing with Josh Allen and that high-powered offense is a hassle on its own for any defense.
Poor turnovers make the defense's job much more difficult. The Dolphins cannot risk trying to overcome this kind of (self-inflicted) adversity in their most important game of the 2023 NFL season.
Tua Tagovailoa needs the right momentum and confidence boost heading into a pivotal postseason. Last March, the Dolphins decided to pick Tua's fifth-year option with a fully guaranteed $23 million on the books for 2024.
The Miami Dolphins need Tua Tagovailoa to be the best player on the field Sunday Night. Playing his best game of the season to ensure they do not have to travel until a potential rematch with the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens.
