Tua the Talk of NFL Nation
The Miami Dolphins started the 2023 NFL season with a thrilling 36-34 victory on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
The game was a back-and-forth battle that required an impressive second-half performance from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, which captured the attention of the national media.
Tagovailoa finished the game with 466 passing yards, marking the fourth most all time in a season opener and the second-most in Dolphins history. He also completed 62.2 percent of his passes with three touchdowns and one interception.
Here’s a look at the national media’s reaction to Tagovailoa’s impressive performance.
Media Reaction to Tagovailoa vs. Chargers
NFL Insider Cameron Wolfe is still thinking about Tagovailoa’s dime to Tyreek Hill in the fourth quarter. Considering the situation (third down, late in the fourth quarter) and difficulty (off-platform throw), there’s an argument it was the best throw of Tagovailoa’s career.
ESPN’s Mina Kimes has been tentative with her praise of Tagovailoa in the past, but even she was impressed with Tagovailoa’s fourth-quarter pass to Hill.
The Ringer’s Benjamin Solak is another national analyst who has been skeptical of Tagovailoa. However, he believes Sunday’s game was the best of the young quarterback’s career.
ESPN’s Mike Greenberg, a noted Jets fan, believes Tagovailoa played well enough to enter the MVP conversation after just one game. It seems the betting sharps agree, as Tagovailoa is now the co-favorite to win MVP on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Monday morning, Pat McAfee went on his show to rave about Tagovailoa’s connection with wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Hill finished Sunday’s game with 11 catches for 215 yards and two touchdowns on 15 targets.
McAfee believes Sunday’s game proved Tagovailoa and Hill are more in sync this season, and the early returns seem to be trending in that direction.
Stephan A. Smith went on First Take Monday morning to praise Tagovailoa. Smith believes staying healthy is the only thing holding Tagovailoa back from a great season.
FOX Sports analyst Emmanuel Acho was among the few national media members to say he would take Tagovailoa over Justin Herbert last season.
Although that debate is far from over, that didn’t stop Acho from taking a victory lap on Twitter. To be fair, Tagovailoa was the better quarterback on Sunday.
Sports Illustrated senior writer Connor Orr didn’t mince words about how well he thought Tagovailoa played, writing:
“We were wrong to doubt the quarterback, to paint him as injury prone, to diminish him as a product of the system, to take digs at his fitness. Did you see the game-winning touchdown he threw against the Chargers on Sunday? A goal-line fade to a wide receiver the size of your middle school basketball league’s power forward? That isn’t a throw for a puppet quarterback. That’s a one-putt through the windmill on hole 18 of the world’s most ridiculous mini-golf course. He did it with time winding down on the road with one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL sitting on the opposite bench.”
Orr wasn’t the only national columnist making bold statements about Tagovailoa.
Pro Football Talk’s Peter King covered the quarterback’s stellar Week 1 showing in his Football Morning in America column, writing:
“But this was one of Tua’s best games at any level, ever. That was impressive. This game just felt so significant, even giving up so much ground to the Chargers in a 36-34 win at SoFi Stadium because Tagovailoa has been such a lightning rod, and no one knows if he can stay healthy for 17 weeks. Here, Tagovailoa wasn’t sacked, wasn’t abused, threw for 466 yards and three touchdowns. He was in command. You could just see it.”
It’s hard to say this was Tagovailoa’s best game at any level. He had some wildly impressive games with the Crimson Tide, but there’s a compelling case for this one taking that crown.
The Chargers had the Dolphins’ number in their matchup last season. That wasn’t the case on Sunday, as Tagovailoa racked up high-level throw after throw. As King put it: “He was in command. You could just see it.”
