With a healthy Tua Tagovailoa leading the way, the Miami Dolphins had the NFL’s top offense last season. With Tagoavailoa missing most of this year with a concussion, the Dolphins dropped to the bottom of the league in scoring.
Tagovailoa’s return on Sunday wasn’t enough to lead the Dolphins (2-5) to a victory, but Miami’s offense was once again functional in a 28-27 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
The 26-year-old quarterback completed 28 of 38 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown, and the Dolphins had their highest-scoring game of the season.
“It feels good to be able to come back and play with my teammates to hopefully help in any way I can to get a spark going for us offensively. Or get the mojo going for the entire team,” Tagovailoa said. “It was good today, but tough loss against a really good team.”
Tagovailoa suffered his third known concussion when he scrambled and collided with Buffalo defensive back Damar Hamlin on Sept. 12. He missed four games, and the Dolphins went 1-3 while using three quarterbacks.
On Sunday, Tagovailoa was tested with another scrambling opportunity to gain positive yardage midway through the third quarter. This time, he opted for a slide that ended a 13-yard run instead of colliding with a defender. The play gave Miami a first down at the Arizona 9-yard line.
“I’m trying to avoid the big hits if I can,” Tagovailoa said. “Sometimes they’re unavoidable if there’s a free rusher and you have to get the ball out and take a hit.”
The crowd chanted his name after the play.
“I thought that was pretty cool,” Tagovailoa said. “I think anyone would think that’s awesome.”
Tagovailoa capped the drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass to De’Von Achane that put Miami ahead 20-10.
During Tagovailoa’s absence, the Dolphins failed to score 20 points in a game. Star receivers Tyreek Hill and Jalen Waddle saw their numbers decline significantly with Miami using backup QBs Skylar Thompson, Tyler Huntley and Tim Boyle.
Hill and Waddle again became factors on Sunday. Hill finished with six catches for 72 yards and Waddle had four receptions for 45 yards. Hill’s 30-yard catch in the second quarter was his longest since he caught an 80-yard touchdown pass in the season-opening win over Jacksonville.
Tagovailoa “came back and got the offense going,” Hill said. “That was a beautiful thing to see.”
Still, the path to a third straight playoff berth will be perilous for the Dolphins, who next face the AFC East-leading Bills.
“We’ve got to keep chopping wood, that’s it,” Tagovailoa said. “We don’t look for any external motivation. It’s from within. We’re going to continue to trust each other, lean on each other and believe in each other. And we’re going to do it next week.”
