MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Three hundred and fifty-one days after suffering a career-threatening hip injury that ended his final season at Alabama, Tua Tagovailoa arrived at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday morning sporting a floral button-up with an Ie Faitaga around his waist and a Kukui Lei resting on his neck, tributes to his Samoan heritage.
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It’s been a long road for Tagovailoa, the Miami Dolphins’ fifth overall pick and 22-year-old native of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Sunday’s contest versus the Los Angeles Rams marked the beginning of another chapter in his journey, with Tagovailoa making his first NFL start.
Tagovailoa was filled with joy after completing his first career passing touchdown, a goal-line pass to receiver DeVante Parker. But overall, he certainly looked the part of a rookie quarterback making his first start, which was filled with plenty of emotions and struggles. Thankfully for Tagovailoa, Miami’s defense and special teams unit came through in big ways to propel the Dolphins to a 28-17 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
“Thank God we’ve got a good defense,” Tagovailoa said. “I don’t think I played to the standard of what this offense is capable of. There were certain plays where I could’ve stepped up and made the right throw and right decision. I’ve heard many times from the guys in the locker room, it’s still good we came out with a win.”
Aqua looking good @Tua 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xJ98d5LgxM
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) November 1, 2020
Tagovailoa faced immediate adversity after fumbling on his first dropback, taking a big “Welcome to the NFL, rookie” hit from Michael Brockers and two-time defensive player of the year Aaron Donald. The offensive line collapsed on the play, not allowing Tagovailoa much time to make a throw or even a chance to scramble out of the pocket.
“That was a good hit,” Tagovailoa said. “I tried to step up, make a throw and Donald swiped at the ball behind me . . . took me off my feet, pretty much body slammed me. That’s football. I’m not gonna lie — I did enjoy getting hit that first time. That was definitely a welcome.”
With Tagovailoa’s first drive coming to an abrupt halt, he returned to the sideline and was greeted by teammate Bobby McCain, who gave him words of encouragement, saying the defense would have his back. McCain kept his word.
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A glimpse at the offensive stats between the teams makes Miami’s defensive performance seem even more impressive. L.A. led Miami in all the offensive categories that typically decide an NFL game, including total yards (471-145), first downs (31-8) and time of possession (36:29-23:31). Tagovailoa completed just 12 of his 22 passes for 93 yards and one touchdown, and Rams quarterback Jared Goff completed 35 of 61 passes for 355 yards and one touchdown.
Ultimately, though, turnovers and an overwhelming effort from Miami’s pass rush played a huge factor in the outcome.
Dolphins coach Brian Flores and defensive coordinator Josh Boyer devised a terrific game plan as the defense applied maximum pressure, often forcing Goff into rushed decisions and bad throws. The Dolphins pressured Goff on 21 of his 63 dropbacks (33 percent), which tied for the highest percentage he faced in a game this season. The end result? Two interceptions (safety Eric Rowe and defensive lineman Christian Wilkins) and two forced fumbles (defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah and defensive lineman Shaq Lawson).
“The key to the game was to attack Jared Goff,” said Ogbah, who leads the team in sacks with six.
Miami converted three of its four turnovers into points, pinning Los Angeles into an early coffin the Rams would not emerge from. The Dolphins scored all 28 points in the first half. With the victory, the Dolphins improved to 4-3 — their first time above .500 in Flores’ tenure.
“It was a total team effort,” Flores said. “Our guys showed a lot of mental toughness this week with the quarterback change. There were a lot of other things going on outside of football. Our guys really focused and prepared and played well.”
Brockers had a unique viewpoint of Goff’s struggles from the visitors’ sideline.
“To be honest with you, I had never seen that before, that many times,” Brockers said. “That was zero-pressure, man-to-man and he has to get the ball out fast because there is an unblocked player. It was a lot. It was crazy to look at. I was like, ‘Man, they’re going to keep zeroing us like that?’”
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While Tagovailoa was less than spectacular, his receivers didn’t do him many favors. Preston Williams (two catches on five targets) had at least two drops and running back Myles Gaskin (three catches on six targets) also dropped what should’ve been an easy completion on third down in the second half. No Dolphins receiver recorded more than 16 yards, and no completion went deeper than 15 yards.
There it is.
First TD for Tua.
🤙
📺 FOXpic.twitter.com/8A0zC3nL1O
— The Athletic NFL (@TheAthleticNFL) November 1, 2020
“The plan was to play good, efficient football in the run game and pass game,” Flores said on Tagovailoa. “There’s some things we need to correct and we’ve got to play better. But it’s good to make those corrections after a victory . . . it’s not a one-man show. (Tua) made enough plays for us to win a ballgame. I think collectively, if we don’t play well in one phase, we need to play well in other phases. We’ve got a lot of confidence in him. It’s his first NFL game against a really good defense.
“Tua’s going to pick us up at some point.”
With Jakeem Grant returning a punt for an 88-yard touchdown — the first by any returner in the NFL this season — the Dolphins recorded a passing, rushing, defensive and special-teams touchdown in a single game for the first time since Oct. 24, 1993, against the Colts. In addition to his punt return-TD, Grant also returned a kickoff for 45 yards. Grant’s performance came against one of the league’s best punters in the Rams’ Johnny Hekker.
“I’ll say I was going about 80 percent,” Grant said with a chuckle about his level of speed. “To get around the edge with just a little short burst and make sure nobody was behind me.
“If one thing (offense) is lacking, then the others have to pick up. So that was big.”
The Dolphins have a friendly schedule in November, which could provide Tagovailoa with opportunities to find his footing leading the offense. Among Miami’s four remaining opponents this month — Arizona, Los Angeles Chargers, Denver and the New York Jets — only the Cardinals (the Dolphins’ next opponent) have a winning record.
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Tagovailoa is the 22nd starting quarterback for the Dolphins since Hall of Famer Dan Marino retired in 2000. For more than two decades, Dolphins fans have suffered through subpar quarterback play, and the calls have grown loud for Tagovailoa to take the reins and become the face of the franchise.
His first NFL start was relatively tame, but that Tua era is officially underway in Miami. For Tagovailoa, his next steps will be continuing to develop chemistry with his receivers and grow within offensive coordinator Chan Gailey’s playbook. There were glimpses on Sunday, but Tagovailoa left most fans and followers wanting more.
“Just being able to go out there and play a full 60-minute game, being that it was my first start — we faced a really good defense,” Tagovailoa said. “It’s not easy scoring against a defense like that, but I’m enjoying the moment every time.”
(Photo: Mark Brown / Getty Images)