Tua bemoans ‘unacceptable’ play as the offense bogs down
For the first time in two months, Tua Tagovailoa no longer leads the NFL in passer rating, having narrowly been eclipsed by Philadelphia quarterback and former Alabama teammate Jalen Hurts, 108.4 to 108.2.
The far bigger concern is figuring out what has happened to the quarterback who had been the NFL’s most accurate passer through the first 12 weeks of the season.
After completing 68 percent of his passes during Miami’s 8-3 start, Tagovailoa has completed just 45.9 percent in the past two losses to the 49ers and Chargers (28 of 61) and just 35.7 percent on Sunday night (10 for 28) against a Chargers defense that ranked fourth-worst in points allowed and was missing two starters in the secondary.
“To play the way we played, especially on my part, that’s unacceptable,” said Tagovailoa, whose 145 yards passing on Sunday were his fewest in a game that he has completed this season.
“Very disappointing to go out as an offense and show what we showed. That’s not to our standard. That’s not how we play football here. We work too hard to put up a performance like that to not be in rhythm, on time with certain throws. We felt like we had some momentum and then something happens whether it’s a penalty or we get stopped on a play.”
The Chargers pressed the Dolphins’ receivers at the line and clogged the middle of the field with extra defenders, taking away some of the inside routes that have been so successful this season.
In the first half on Sunday, Tagovailoa was 0 for 5 on routes in the middle
of the field.
Per Pro Football Focus, Tagovailoa completed just two passes that traveled more than 10 yards downfield inside the numbers. As perspective, he had been completing seven such passes per game since returning from injury in Week 7.
“The defenses we’ve played have been playing exactly what we expected them to play, what they put on film,” Tagovailoa said of the 49ers and Chargers.
But left tackle Terron Armstead disagreed with that, saying the Chargers “did some things different than they had all season. A lot of pressure from different spots, more than they had all season.
That’s a sign of respect for our explosive offense.”
And receiver Jaylen Waddle said: “They got us off their rhythm. They had a good game plan [and] stuck to it. They were giving us a lot of different looks, bringing a lot of exotic pressures.”
Tagovailoa’s season stats are still sterling: 22 touchdowns and five interceptions. But he has dropped to 17th in completion percentage at
65.5.
Tagovailoa blamed everything “from the communication to getting the details right with our
guys. We’re not dialed-in on that. We have to go back to the drawing board and figure it out.”
And now he must do it against the nemesis Bills, who lost to the Dolphins in Week 2 but won the three other games that Tagovailoa started against them, including one when he was knocked out early last season with a rib injury.
Tagovailoa’s passer rating against the Bills is a meager 69.5, worst among the six teams that he has played more than once in his career and second worst overall. He also has struggled in cold weather; 30 degree temperatures and snow are expected in Buffalo.
“We’ve got to turn the page quick because we’re playing a really good team next week as well,” he said. “We’re going to get it fixed.”
Tagovailoa recently told CBS that he looked at himself in the mirror and asked, “Do I suck?” last season. He cannot allow this slump to shatter his confidence.
“I don’t think [his confidence] wavered at all,” Waddle said. “His confidence ain’t going nowhere.”
POSITION NOTES
Running back: With Jeff Wilson Jr. departing
in the first half with a hip injury after just eight snaps, Raheem Mostert played 37 of 51 offensive snaps. Wilson’s status is in question for the Bills game but test results Monday “are more positive than the worst case scenario it could have been,” coach Mike McDaniel said. “Crisis is averted for sure.”
Wide receiver: Tyreek Hill — who broke
Mark Clayton’s team record for receiving yards in a season — played 34 of 51 snaps while dealing with an ankle injury.
Waddle — who was targeted just four times and caught two passes for 31 yards — played 43 snaps, compared to 31 for
Trent Sherfield and 20 for Cedrick Wilson Jr. Freddie Swain, filling in for injured River Cracraft, played seven snaps in his Dolphins debut.
Offensive line: Armstead, who missed the 49ers game with a strained pectoral muscle, said the pain was tolerable against the Chargers.
“Had to do little things different, play more on my right side,” he said.
Armstead allowed his first sack of the season and said that playing with a strap over his pectoral muscle required “some adjustments, nothing crazy, though.”