Eye on the Opponent: Dolphins Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa Chasing Historic Passing Campaign
It’s been four weeks into the 2023 NFL season, and a couple has already notified the New York Giants of the best quarterbacks in the league.
Yet, as their unfathomable campaign prepares for the second quarter, the carousel of premier opposing talent does not stop there. This time, they will face one of the most surprising gunslingers in the early going, who is setting seasonal production markers at an alarming rate.
Among the biggest stories of the young season, few have been more remarkable than that of the Miami Dolphins’ electric offense behind the individual performances of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. One year removed from a career-high 3,500-yard passing stint marred by concussion injuries that kept him off the field for four games, the fifth-year player has returned to dominate the NFL landscape and position himself as the game’s top-producing passer.
Through his team’s fiery 3-1 start, Tagovailoa has been the flare to spark the offensive explosion, posting 97 completions on 136 attempts (73.1%) for 1,306 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions. His passing workload has been hefty, with three games of at least 30 attempts, but those have been incredibly efficient, with at least 282 aerial yards and an average throw of 8.3 yards.
The Alabama product’s best showing came in Week 3 against the Denver Broncos, when he completed a career-high 88.5% of his passes for 309 yards (11.9 average) and four touchdowns. That feat marked his first four-touchdown game since Week 2 of the 2022 season, and he has helped himself near the 1,500 passing spot in five weeks for the fastest pace in his professional career. The 25-year-old is also on track to surpass 5,500 passing yards and 38 scores if his efforts keep up, which makes for a dangerous player the Giants will be tasked with stopping on Sunday.
"Not surprised," Giants head coach Brian Daboll said about Tagovailoa, whom he coached at Alabama. "I have a lot of respect for Tua and how he plays that position, some of the stuff he went through early on in his career. He’s got great anticipation, he’s accurate, he’s a leader, and I am not surprised at all with the success he has had. He’s bounced back from some tough things injury-wise, but he’s a heck of a quarterback."
Tagovailoa’s historic passing aspirations have benefited greatly from the strength of Miami’s offensive line in protecting the quarterback from opposing pressure. According to ESPN Analytics, the Dolphins are ranked 16th best in pass block win rate (55 percent), allowing their teammate to stay under a 14.3% pressure-to-sack percentage and have an average of 2.34 seconds in the clean pocket on his dropbacks.
However, a major reason he has succeeded in moving the football and elevating the play of his teammates comes down to his excellent ball protection and a keen eye for ball placement. Per Pro Football Focus, Tagovailoa boasts incredibly low numbers in turnover-worthy play rate (2.6%), batted passes (2), and throwaways (2), which is a clear sign he is not forcing the ball into harm’s way.
The former first-round pick is very patient and mobile in the pocket, waiting for his receivers’ routes to develop and break off into the right throwing spots before he lets it rip for big-time plays. His scrambling ability makes him an added weapon in the rushing game and sometimes forces the defense to respect that. The end result can lead to a wide-open target amongst Miami’s talented corps whom Tagovailoa can reach with pinpoint accuracy at an average distance of 9.0 yards.
Speaking of targets, Tagovailoa has many of them at his disposal with different intangibles in Mike McDaniels’s system. At the forefront is reviver Tyreek Hill, the Dolphins’ speedy vertical threat who’s torched defenses to nearly 500 yards receiving (16.8 average) and four touchdowns in five games to sit top-5 in the position.
He’s also joined by Jalen Waddle, Braxton Berrios, and Robbie Chosen out wide and is accompanied in the backfield by Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane, two running backs that have combined for 558 yards and ten touchdowns for the Miami rushing department.
Whether he’s faced the stoutest of defenses or a much looser group, it’s been a remarkable season for the budding MVP candidate who has the Dolphins leading the league in most passing categories and advancing in their pursuit of representing the AFC in February. The franchise hit a bump in the road in Buffalo last week but will look for a complete bounce back against a struggling Giants defense that has fallen to dark depths in slowing down opposing offenses.
If New York wants any chance of competing with the Dolphins and leaving South Florida with a victory, it’ll start with getting pressure on a quarterback who’s felt everything come too easy. The other option would be seeing another fireworks show go off at Hard Rock Stadium at the expense of the visitor’s defense and the giant collapse from the 2022 season ravage further for the Giants.
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