Tua Tagovailoa received the shotgun snap, executed his three-step-drop and then let it rip.
Maybe “rip” isn’t exactly the best choice of words to use for his pass outside the numbers that was intended for rookie tight end Hunter Long, who was standing at the 23-yard line waiting for Tagovailoa’s fluttering pass.
The ball hung in the air long enough for Jets cornerback Brandin Echols to jump the route and take the fourth-quarter interception 20-yards to reach the end zone, tying the game at 24.
That outside-of-the-numbers pass has been the cringe-worthy throw Tagovailoa’s critics live off of, and his supporters fear most. It fuels about whether the second-year quarterback is good enough to be an NFL starter, and lead the Dolphins (7-7) to a Super Bowl title eventually.
But what they should be focused on his how Tagovailoa responds to a bad throw, which he did Sunday in a 9-play, 75-yard drive that concluded with crisp slant pass that DeVante Parker caught on third-and-9 from the Jets 11-yard line and scored on, giving Miami a 31-24 lead with 3:37 left in the game.
That drive in was a game-winning drive, the fourth of his young career, and second this season (both against the Jets).
He’s delivered those types of scoring drives in the fourth quarter of losses to the Jaguars and Falcons this season, but the defense couldn’t do their part to close out those wins.
But the bottom line is what we’ve seen this season is that is Tagovailoa good enough to win with, which means he’s good enough to build around.
“Terrible decision on my part with the pick-six, but got to move on. The game is not over. We got to go down and we got to put some points on the board, and that’s what we did,” said Tagovailoa, who completed 16-of-27 passes for 196 yards with two touchdown passes and two interceptions Sunday. “You never want that to happen, but it does happen, and so just got to move on from it. I’m glad we were able to overcome it.”
That’s because Tagovailoa’s shortcomings as an NFL quarterback aren’t deal-breakers.
Having a quarterback who lacks pocket presence (Ryan Tannehill), or one who consistently misfires on third-down or red-zone throws (Chad Henne), or someone who can’t read a defense, and has a propensity to throw check-down passes (Josh Rosen) is a deal-breaker.
Tagovailoa’s efficiency makes him a deal or game closer, which is the type of quarterback who leads the offense to fourth-quarter scoring drives when the game is on the line, or needs to be closed out. He’s done that time and time again this season.
“Obviously he had some plays he wants back, but he battled back and took us right back down the field after the turnover and punched it in at the end and gave us the winning score, the winning points,” coach Brian Flores said. “We’ll make the corrections. It’s always good to make those mistakes and win the ball game as well.”
That’s why Tagovailoa owns a 11-7 record as an NFL starter going back to the 2020 season.
He’s still growing and improving, despite his warts — which are his lack of top-shelf NFL arm strength and durability issues.
That’s why the Dolphins should table the Deshaun Watson overtures and use the resources — draft picks and cap space — it would take to land the embattled Texans’ Pro Bowl quarterback this coming offseason to add better playmakers and build Miami a better offensive line in 2022.
Just imagine the Dolphins with a better offensive line, more talent at receiver, and a consistent run game , gaining 107 of Miami’s 183 rushing yards on 22 carries.
Juicing up the rushing attack is what will make the run-pass-option offense Tagovailoa is viewed as a master at because of his tenure at the University of Alabama come alive.
“I think there’s also areas within our RPO game that we can get better with,” said Tagovailoa, who heads into a Monday Night nationally televised game against the New Orleans Saints on Dec. 27 with a 94.3 passer rating. “More so with me, and [my] decision-making.”
Miami’s offense can’t survive many more two-interception games from Tagovailoa, which led to 10 points for the Jets on Sunday.
But the dominance of Miami’s run game is why Tagovailoa’s bad day at work — his third-worst passer rated performance (75.5) of the season — didn’t seem so troubling.
“It just helps really every facet of the offensive football,” Flores said. “That balance, that ability to churn out yards on the ground opens up the RPOs, opens up the play-actions and it wears the opponent down.
“Obviously, the run game is something that we’ve placed an emphasis on,” Flores said, referring to the fact Miami has averaged 30 rushing attempts per game during the Dolphins’ six-game winning streak. “We had some success with it today.”
