Tua Tagovailoa sharp again as Dolphins dominate Patriots for third consecutive victory
The Miami Dolphins began their attempt to turn their season around following a 2-6 start three weeks ago.
They once again held serve on Sunday against an opponent they were favored to beat.
And they did so emphatically by routing the rebuilding New England Patriots 34-15 at Hard Rock Stadium.
It was the Dolphins’ most lopsided win over the Patriots since a 38-13 victory at Foxborough on Sept. 21, 2008 - the game in which Miami implemented the Wildcat formation and Ronnie Brown accounted for six touchdowns.
It could have been even more lopsided with Miami leading 31-0 early in the fourth quarter before giving up a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns including Christian Gonzalez’s 63-yard return for a touchdown of a Jaylen Wright fumble, which forced the Dolphins to put several starters including Tua Tagovailoa back in the game after they had been pulled to rest them for Thursday’s game.
Tyrel Dodson’s interception of a pass by New England starting quarterback Drake Maye with 5:13 left in the fourth led to a Jason Sanders 51-yard field goal to seal the outcome.
“(Being) 2-6 was tough, but we still have a long way to go,” Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler said. “Now, we’re 5-6, but it’s not like we’re still not in the hole. We still have our backs against the wall. That mindset when we were 2-6 and getting guys back and being able to work off each other and taking the extra hours to get our techniques and fundamentals together. It’s really showing up these last few weeks and something we need to carry through the rest of the season and hopefully postseason.”
Tagovailoa remained sharp and delivered one of the best performances of his career, throwing four touchdown passes.
Jaylen Waddle put together his best game of the season, catching a season-high eight passes for a season-high 144 yards and a touchdown. The score was his first since Week 1 against the Jaguars and only his second of the season.
“We’ve got a lot of playmakers on this team,” Waddle said. “...I was more frustrated from the losses than me having individual goals. That’s more like a media thing, really.”
Miami’s defense was dominant as well, recording four sacks of New England starter Drake Maye. Rookie Chop Robinson had one of those sacks, and had what appeared to be a strip sack in the second quarter that was later ruled an incomplete pass.
Sieler had a strip sack in the third quarter, which Jordyn Brooks recovered.
And so, the Dolphins (5-6) won their third consecutive game over a team at or under .500.
The victory, on a short week, set up a crucial showdown Thanksgiving Night at Green Bay, which figures to be Miami’s toughest opponent since this winning streak began. And the Dolphins will likely play that night game, which is set for an 8:20 p.m. kickoff, in cold temperatures with the expected low being 20 degrees as of Sunday according to the Weather Channel.
But Tagovailoa, who has struggled in cold weather games during his career, will enter Thursday’s contest with plenty of momentum after completing 29 of 40 passes for 317 yards, the aforementioned four touchdown passes and no interceptions.
“I’m excited to kill the narratives. Let’s go. Let’s bring it on,” Tagovailoa said.
Tagovailoa’s four touchdown passes matched his second-highest total for his career and the first time he has thrown that many since Sept. 24, 2023 against the Broncos in the game the Dolphins set a franchise scoring record in a 70-20 rout. It was the fourth game of his career with four or more touchdown passes.
Tight end Jonnu Smith continued to be a focal point of the Dolphins’ offense with nine catches for 87 yards and a touchdown.
“It’s just going through the progressions,” Tagovailoa said. “I think that’s where we’ve taken a step forward in this offense in retrospect to last year. If 1 and 2 aren’t there, we’re able to flip our feet and work through the progression and what that entails for us. If he’s open and if not, knowing what our checkdowns are.”
Tagovailoa now has 11 touchdowns and only one interception in 20 quarters since returning from the concussion he suffered in week 2 against Buffalo. His 128.9 passer rating was his best over that span and the third game he has posted one of 124.9 or higher. Tagovailoa has posted a passer rating of 89.4 or higher in each of those five games.
“It was another game where he’s found a way to improve the way that he plays the position throughout the game,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. “…He is letting every play stand on its own. In previous years we spent a lot of time talking about the most monumental thing you have to overcome as a quarterback is dealing with the ebbs and flows of the position.”
This story was originally published November 24, 2024 at 4:11 PM.
