San Francisco 49er calls out Tua Tagovailoa during Dolphins' loss to Chiefs
The Miami Dolphins had a bad day at the very frozen office on Saturday evening in a 26-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Perhaps no Dolphin had a worse day than QB Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa completed 17 of 35 passes for 171 yards with a touchdown and an interception. That stat line might actually […]
The Miami Dolphins had a bad day at the very frozen office on Saturday evening in a 26-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Perhaps no Dolphin had a worse day than QB Tua Tagovailoa.
Tagovailoa completed 17 of 35 passes for 171 yards with a touchdown and an interception. That stat line might actually be flattering for the performance that was shown on the field.
Tagovailoa was indecisive and generally ineffective from the start. The Dolphins' signal caller misfired time and again on simple swing passes and short routes, which hampered Miami's offense to a substantial degree. His first quarter interception also sailed over Jaylen Waddle's head by about three yards.
He appeared to be completely affected by the frigid subzero temperature. The same could not be said about Patrick Mahomes, who completed 23 of 41 attempts for 262 yards and a touchdown to go with 41 yards rushing as Kansas City's offense rolled up 409 yards of total offense.
It was a day that was a culmination of a growing belief that Tagovailoa isn't the future at the position for the Dolphins. It was also a day that summed up another often-repeated belief among fans: that the Dolphins' QB isn't all that tough.
That opinion appears to be shared by at least one current NFL player. San Francisco WR Willie Snead IV thumbed out a post on Twitter/X during the game that was rather unbecoming of the Miami QB.
Harsh words from the Niners' practice squad wide receiver about a Pro Bowl selection who had a pretty memorable regular season. However, the message isn't totally baseless. In a way, it's kind of a microcosm of some of the complaints about the QB.
Tagovailoa hasn't been the best at rising to challenges that pop up on the football field. When the weather conditions haven't been very good. When the first read isn't there. When the pass rush has been persistent.
There have been plenty of times when he hasn't been able improvise and turn a bad play into a good one. When the defense pressures or takes away his primary read, being able to still make the offense function well. When the weather is unbearably cold, being able to persist and perform well.
Snead being one to criticize Tagovailoa might be laughed off by some or scoffed at because of who Snead is by comparison in the NFL pecking order. However, after Saturday, one has to wonder if Tua is built to handle the tough situations that come in January football when the pressure is at its highest and the weather is at its most demanding.
What matters the most is what the Dolphins' brass thinks. That belief will be reflected soon enough in contract talks when the Dolphins decide how much they want to commit to Tagovailoa as their quarterback of the future.
Tyreek Hill reveals powerful locker room message after Dolphins’ loss
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