MIAMI (AP) – The Miami Dolphins need a good game on Sunday to make sure they keep playing, and that’s especially true for Tua Tagovailoa.
With another mistake, the rookie quarterback could be watching the final minutes from the sideline as Miami tries to get the playoff attack on Buffalo.
Coach Brian Flores has occupied Tagovailoa twice in the fourth quarter, including last week in Las Vegas, when quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick rescued Miami by overcoming a couple of late deficits.
“The expectation for me is very high,” Tagovailoa said Wednesday. “Obviously, I didn’t play at that level last week.”
FitzMagic kept the Dolphins (10-5) in control of their chances of entering Sunday’s regular season finale against the Bills. It also further fueled the debate among the Monday morning quarterbacks about who should be the quarterback for Sunday afternoon in Miami.
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Flores has been bold all year in deciding the matter. He promoted Tagovailoa to No. 1 before the seventh game, although Miami had a two-game win and Fitzpatrick played well.
Flores has also shown his willingness to give the hook to Tagovailoa, despite the risk that it could scandalize the confidence of a 22-year-old who would be a quarterback in the potential franchise.
“I have a lot of peace with the decisions that me and I make, because it’s sincerely, genuinely and genuinely based on winning games,” Flores said.
Tagovailoa is 6-2 as a starter, and Flores said the rookie will get his head back in Buffalo and give Miami the best chance of winning.
There is no indication that the disturbing quarterback situation has split the team, in part because Tagovailoa and Fitzpatrick, 38, are costume model citizens who have developed a close relationship.
This was evident at the end of the Raiders ’play, when Fitzpatrick threw a touchdown pass to put the Dolphins ahead and was greeted throughout the band by Tagovailoa with a celebratory flying shoulder kick.
There’s been a lot to celebrate: despite QB’s revolving door, the Dolphins are on the verge of surpassing 400 points for the first time since 1986 and are only about to have their third playoff spot since 2001.
Accredit both Tagovailoa and Fitzpatrick for running a two-quarterback system.
“The only people who should really be affected are Fitz and Tua,” Mike Gesicki said. “It simply came to our notice then. You always see that Fitz helps Tua, that Tua supports Fitz. They have done a great job with this and only the roles of others are understood ”.
Tagovailoa’s role has been as a game manager, and he has done well, avoiding mistakes and letting the Dolphins’ dominant defense make game-changing plays. Fitzpatrick’s role has been to let go and gather troops.
The statistics reflect the contrasting styles. Surprisingly for a rookie, Tagovailoa has the lowest interception rate in the NFL, with two in 232 passes.
“This is a good place to start in the quarterback position,” Flores said.
Fitzpatrick ranks 32nd in interception rate. But he is 14th with an average of 11.4 yards per finish, while Tagovailoa ranks 34th at 9.6.
Tagovailoa’s biggest gain year-round has been 35 yards. Some 52 NFL players have completed more time, including three receivers.
“Pushing the ball down: with that I have to do a better job,” he said.
Offensive coordinator Chan Gailey said it is wrong to blame Tagovailoa for Miami’s approach to money.
“We’ve been a team that has tried to be back, 10, 11, 12 games, run football, pass game action, control clock time,” Gailey said. “This is the situation we encountered with Tua in the ball game.”
In the last two weeks, Tagovailoa has thrown just 145 and 94 yards. Such modest productivity raises speculation that the Dolphins will once again score a quarterback in the first round in April, when they could reach No. 3 because they own the Houston national team.
For now, Flores will stay with Tagovailoa, although that could change on Sunday in the second half.
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