Tua Tagovailoa says Dolphins’ 5-7 record has a lot to do with him ‘leaving my guys out to dry’
On Wednesday, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa took some of the blame for the Dolphins’ 5-7 start to the 2024 season.
“Very surprised,” Tagovailoa said of Miami’s record. “I don’t think that shows the character of who we are as a team. Doesn’t show the work that we’ve put in this offseason together.
“Nobody else will say it but me and I feel like this has a lot to do with myself, obviously putting myself in harm’s way in the second game, going down, basically leaving my guys out to dry. That’s what I would say. Anyone can have an opinion about football, it’s this, it’s that, you know, I do take heart to that as well. Don’t wanna do that to my guys again.”
Tagovailoa suffered a concussion in Week 2 of the 2024 season against the Buffalo Bills, and he was placed on injured reserve and missed Miami’s next four games.
The Dolphins lost their Week 2 matchup with Buffalo to fall to 1-1 on the season, and then they went just 1-3 in the four games that Tagovailoa sat out. Since his return, the Dolphins have gone 3-3, but they still find themselves on the outside of the playoff picture in the AFC. They’re currently the No. 9 seed.
The Dolphins face the 3-9 New York Jets in Week 14, so there’s a chance that they’ll be able to get to 6-7 on the season with four games to play. Miami may need to win out in order to make the playoffs, as the final playoff spot in the AFC currently belongs to the Denver Broncos, and they’ve already won eight games in the 2024 season.
It’s admirable that Tagovailoa is taking a lot of the blame for Miami’s rough season, but the Dolphins did not have a solid plan in place to replace him in the event of an injury. The Dolphins shuffled through players like Skylar Thompson, Tyler Huntley and Tim Boyle at quarterback when Tagovailoa was sidelined, and the overall results weren’t very good.
In the eight games that he’s appeared in this season, Tagovailoa has played well. The former first-round pick has thrown for 2,125 yards while completing 74.5 percent of his passes. He’s also thrown for 15 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
If the one-time Pro Bowler can stay healthy the rest of the season, Miami may have a chance to sneak into the playoffs for the third time in as many seasons under head coach Mike McDaniel.
