MIAMI (AP) – The Miami Dolphins need a good game on Sunday to ensure they keep playing, and this is especially true for Tua Tagovailoa.
With another failure, the rookie quarterback may be watching the final minutes of the sideline again, while Miami tries to secure a playoff spot in Buffalo.
Coach Brian Flores dismissed Tagovailoa twice in the fourth period, including last week in Las Vegas, when reserve defender Ryan Fitzpatrick rescued Miami by overcoming two late deficits.
“The expectation for me is very high,” said Tagovailoa on Wednesday. “Obviously, last week I didn’t play to that standard.”
FitzMagic kept the Dolphins (10-5) in control of their chances of entering Sunday’s regular season final against the Bills. It also fueled further debate among Monday morning quarterbacks over who should be Miami’s quarterback on Sunday afternoon.
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Flores was bold throughout the year to decide the matter. He promoted Tagovailoa to first place before Game 7, although Miami was in a two-game winning streak and Fitzpatrick was playing well.
Flores was also willing to give Tagovailoa the hook, despite the risk of undermining the confidence of a 22-year-old called up as a potential defender in the franchise.
“I have a lot of peace with the decisions that I and we made because it is sincere, genuine and authentically based on winning games,” said Flores.
Tagovailoa has 6-2 as a starter, and Flores said the rookie will get the nod again in Buffalo and give Miami the best chance of winning.
There is no sign that the quarterback’s unstable situation has divided the team, partly because Tagovailoa and Fitzpatrick, 38, are locker room model citizens who have developed a close relationship.
This was evident at the end of the Raiders’ game, when Fitzpatrick launched a touchdown pass to put the Dolphins ahead and was greeted along the touchline by Tagovailoa with a commemorative shoulder shrug.
There is a lot to celebrate: despite the revolving door in the QB, the Dolphins are on their way to amass 400 points for the first time since 1986, and are about to just their third playoff spot since 2001.
Tagovailoa and Fitzpatrick credits for making a two quarterback system work.
“The only people it should really affect are Fitz and Tua,” said tight end Mike Gesicki. “And they handle it very well. You always see Fitz helping Tua, Tua supporting Fitz. They did a great job with that and kind of understood each other’s roles. “
Tagovailoa’s role has been that of a game manager, and he has done it well, avoiding mistakes and letting the Dolphins’ dominant defense make game-changing moves. Fitzpatrick’s role is to release and gather troops.
The statistics reflect the contrasting styles. Notably for a novice, Tagovailoa has the lowest NFL interception rate, with two in 232 passes.
“It’s a good place to start as a defender,” said Flores.
Fitzpatrick ranks 32nd in the interception rate. But he is 14th with an average of 11.4 yards per completion, while Tagovailoa is 34th with 9.6.
Tagovailoa’s biggest gain for the entire year was 35 yards. About 52 NFL players launched a longer conclusion, including three receivers.
“Pushing the ball into the field – that’s what I need to do a better job with,” he said.
Offensive coordinator Chan Gailey said it is wrong to blame Tagovailoa for Miami’s dink-and-dump approach.
“We have been a team that tried to be nine, 10, 11, 12 plays, running football, playing the action passing, controlling the time on the clock,” said Gailey. “This is the situation that we found with Tua in the ball game.”
In the past two weeks, Tagovailoa pitched for just 145 and 94 yards. This modest productivity raises speculation that the Dolphins will choose a quarterback in the first round again in April, when they can choose up to third place because they own the Houston team.
For now, Flores will stay with Tagovailoa, although that may change in the second half of Sunday.
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