Alabama Players in the NFL Tracker Week 10: Tua Tagovailoa Improves to 3-0 as Starter

Numerous former Crimson Tide players have interesting matchups in the NFL this weekend including rookie wide receivers Henry Ruggs III vs. Jerry Jeudy

Author:
Kristi Patrick
Publish date:
Nov 15, 2020 9:00 PM EST

Miami rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa passed for 169 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions for a 106.9 rating in the Dolphins' 29-21 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Tagovailoa, who has five touchdown passes and zero interceptions this season, has won each of his first three career starts.

He joined Carson Wentz (2016) as the only rookie quarterbacks to win their first three starts and throw zero interceptions in the Super Bowl era.

Levi Wallace Placed on Bills COVID-19 List

Buffalo cornerback Levi Wallace won't be available fro Sunday's game against Arizona after being placed on the team's reserve/COVID-19 list on Saturday.

The Bills announced that cornerback Josh Norman had tested positive. Due to the NFL's NFL contact-tracing protocols, Wallace, safety Dean Marlowe and tight end Tyler Kroft were all placed on the list as a precautionary measure due to being in recent close contact with Norman.

Meanwhile, former Crimson Tide safety Jared Mayden was elevated from the practice squad of the San Francisco 49ers and is eligible to play against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

NFL Week 10 Preview

Prodigy quarterbacks are the rage in the NFL this season, and Week 10 features another showdown of young guns including Tua Tagovailoa.

On Sunday, the Chargers, led by rookie Justin Hebert, visit the Dolphins. The former Oregon quarterback was selected sixth in the 2020 NFL Draft, one spot behind Tagovailoa.

The Chargers have the NFL’s No. 2 offense, producing 420.0 total yards per game. Herbert has passed for 2,146 yards and 17 touchdowns, respectively the second- and fourth-most totals by a player over his first seven games in NFL history. He needs 354 passing yards for 2,500, and three touchdown passes to reach 20.

In NFL history, only Deshaun Watson, Patrick Mahomes and Kurt Warner have reached 20 touchdown passes in their first eight games. Only Mahomes has reached 2,500 passing yards during that same time span. .

Meanwhile, Tagovailoa has made two starts for the Dolphins, but won them both.

Last week he orchestrated two fourth-quarter scoring drives, including a game-tying, 10-play, 93-yard touchdown march, to lead the Dolphins to a come-from-behind, 34-31 win over the Cardinals.

Arizona was led by Kyler Murray, who edged Tagovailoa for the 2018 Heisman Trophy.

Since 1967, when the NFL and AFL began selecting players in the same draft, Sunday’s Hebert-Tagovailoa meeting is only the seventh NFL game involving rookie starting quarterbacks both taken among the top-six selections. The other six:

Nov. 7, 1971: Dan Pastorini (3), Houston vs. Jim Plunkett (1), New England, Patriots 28-20

Sept. 19, 1993: Rick Mirer (2), Seattle vs. Drew Bledsoe (1), New England, Seahawks 17-14

Oct. 4, 1998: Ryan Leaf (2), San Diego vs. Peyton Manning (1), Indianapolis, Colts 17-12

Oct. 10, 1999: Akili Smith (3), Cincinnati vs. Tim Couch (1) vs. Cleveland, Bengals 18-17

Sept. 13, 2015: Marcus Mariota (2), Tennessee vs. Jameis Winston (1), Tampa Bay, Titans 42-14

Oct. 20, 2019: Kyler Murray (1), Arizona vs. Daniel Jones (6), N.Y. Giants, Cardinals 27-21

Matchup of the Week

Former teammates Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III will have their first, of what will hopefully be many, showdowns as AFC West rivals on Sunday. Ruggs was the 12th-overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Raiders, while Jeudy was the 15th pick by the Broncos.

Last week, Jeudy set career highs with seven catches and 125 yards and scored a touchdown. He's fourth among rookies with 484 receiving yards and has had a touchdown in tow of the last three games.

Ruggs, who had knee/hamstring issues earlier this season, has 10 cates for 220 yards and one touchdown, but is averaging 22.0 yards per reception.

NFL Schedule Week 10

Thursday's game

Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans, 7:20 p.m. CT, Fox/NFL Network

Sunday's games

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants, noon, Fox

Jacksonville Jaguars at Green Bay Packers, noon, Fox

The Washington Football Team at Detroit Lions, noon, Fox

Houston Texans at Cleveland Browns, noon, Fox

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers, noon, Fox

Los Angeles Chargers at Miami Dolphins, 3:05 p.m.,CBS

Denver Broncos at Las Vegas Raiders, 3:05 p.m., CBS

Buffalo Bills at Arizona Cardinals, 3:05 p.m., CBS

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers, 3:25 p.m., Fox

San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints, 3:25 p.m., Fox

Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams, 3:25 p.m., Fox

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots, 7:20 p.m., NBC

Monday's game

Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears, 7:15 p.m., ESPN

NFL Week 10 Notes

• The comebacks continue. The Chiefs (11 points), Patriots (10) and Steelers (13) all overcame a deficit of at least 10 points to win in Week 9. There have been 29 games in which a team has overcome a deficit of at least 10 points to win this season, the second-most such games through Week 9 in NFL history. Only the 1987 season (30 games) had more.

• Can you name the only rookie quarterback in Dolphins history to win his first two career starts before Tagovailoa? David Woodley in 1980.

• Minnesota Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. had his first career game with two touchdowns last week.

• Safety Ronnie Harrison led the Browns with a season-high 10 tackles during his last game Week 8. He seems to have really found a home in Cleveland.

• Look for Derrick Henry to be profiled against the Colts on Thursday. He only rushed fo 68 yards last week, and had 149 the last time he faced Indianapolis. Henry has been at his best against division opponents, with 559 scrimmage yards (186.3 per game) and five rushing touchdowns during the last AFC South games. Overall, he's second in league rushing 843 yards and tied for third with eight rushing touchdowns.

Trevon Diggs' Season Could Be Over

Cowboys Maven reported that rookie cornerback Trevon Diggs suffered a hairline fracture in his left foot and could be done for the season

Diggs hurt his foot in the fourth quarter and got re-taped at one point but was not able to return. The Cowboys, who used practice-squad call-up Saivion Smith in his place at the end of the game with the Steelers, estimate that he will miss four to six weeks.

As NFL Network was first to report the rehab time on his injury could mean his 2020 season is over. However, he should make a full recovery for 2021.