Monday night was a holiday for those who still question Tua Tagovailoa’s place in the NFL quarterback hierarchy. Tyreek Hill left with an ankle injury, the Miami Dolphins struggled on offense and took a bad loss to the Tennessee Titans. It looked like more evidence that Tagovailoa isn’t a top-tier quarterback unless he’s throwing to Hill.
It was a lot quieter on Sunday.
Tagovailoa isn’t just a product of having Hill on his side. Hill was inactive and Tagovailoa had a huge day against a very good New York Jets defense. He completed his first 13 passes as he helped the Dolphins to an easy 30-0 win over the Jets. The Dolphins couldn’t afford to compound their Titans loss by losing again to the Jets, especially with the Buffalo Bills lurking in the AFC East, and Tagovailoa made sure that didn’t happen. At halftime Tagovailoa was 15 of 17 for 168 yards and the Dolphins led 24-0. He finished 21 of 24 for 224 yards. He could have padded his stats more if the Jets were a little more competitive.
The Dolphins’ struggles on Monday night weren’t as simple as Tagovailoa being exposed because he was without Hill. Miami builds its game plans around Hill and targets him as often as it can. Any smart team would if they had a game-breaking talent like that. When you lose a player like that in the first half, it’s hard to adjust your entire plan on the fly.
The Dolphins knew this week they were unlikely to have Hill. And Tagovailoa was great without him. His 60-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle have Miami a 17-0 lead to practically put the game away — the Jets offense decided to be horrible again Sunday, and that was obvious early on — and it was the type of explosive play that Tagovailoa has made all season. It’s why he should probably get more buzz in the MVP race.
Yes, Jaylen Waddle is an excellent WR2 and Tagovailoa had a big day throwing his way. It’s correct that Mike McDaniel is a fantastic Xs and Os coach and that helps Tagovailoa. But by now we should have reached the expiration date on crediting Tagovailoa’s success to others around him. Other quarterbacks have good coaches and playmaking receivers around them, and it’s not held against them. Tagovailoa has clearly positioned himself in the top end of NFL quarterbacks, and is probably about to get paid as one.
The Dolphins have a big decision to make on Tagovailoa after the season. He’s due for a huge quarterback contract as he enters the final year of his rookie deal. There were concerns about his concussion history when it came to that deal, and perhaps even some worry that he wasn’t worth a deal in the $45-55 million per year range like other top quarterbacks are making. But Sunday was a good argument for paying Tagovailoa. He’s plenty more than just the guy passing it to Hill.
Here are the rest of the winners and losers from Week 15 of the NFL season:
WINNERS
Patrick Mahomes: Mahomes made sure he didn’t have another frustrating week.
A week after losing to the Buffalo Bills and unloading on the officials over an offsides penalty, Mahomes made sure a Kadarius Toney mistake couldn’t cost the Kansas City Chiefs another win (though Toney tried, with a dropped pass that was intercepted). He looked like vintage Mahomes, making some fantastic passes in a 27-17 win over the New England Patriots. He had 305 yards and two touchdowns. A touchdown pass to Clyde Edwards-Helaire was typical Mahomes, throwing off platform for the score.
The Chiefs still have their issues. But they also have Mahomes, and that means they’ll remain contenders.
Baker Mayfield: Mayfield took a one-year, $4 million deal this past offseason, less than what some backups make, just to have a shot to start for the cap-strapped Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It’s turning out great for both sides.
Mayfield had a huge day in a big 34-20 win over the Green Bay Packers. He threw for 381 yards and four touchdowns. Mayfield’s touchdown to David Moore, who had a great run after the catch, put the game away with 6:30 remaining. The Buccaneers are 7-7 and very much in the NFC South race.
The Packers followed up a bad loss to the Giants with a damaging home loss to the Bucs. They have given back all of the gains they made beating the Lions and Chiefs. Jordan Love was generating a lot of positive attention when the Packers were hot. On Sunday, Love was outplayed by the forgotten quarterback on the other side.
LOSERS
Tommy DeVito’s magic: DeVito has been one of the feel-good stories of the NFL season, but it’s not like he has arrived as a can’t miss, week-in and week-out star.
DeVito and the New York Giants had a rough day in a 24-6 loss to the New Orleans Saints. The offense generated very little behind DeVito, who was coming off a fine game in a win over the Packers. New York didn’t score a touchdown. The Giants looked like they did for much of the first half of the season, going through the motions as they got buried by a mediocre Saints team.
DeVito still has a few more chances to start and put some good things on tape. But after a great night against the Packers, DeVito and the Giants had a day to forget in New Orleans.
Anyone who attended Falcons-Panthers (not that many did): Not many Carolina Panthers fans were interested in sitting through the rain to watch their 1-12 team on Sunday.
It’s not like those season ticket holders who stayed warm at home had many regrets. It was a 7-3 Atlanta Falcons lead at halftime. There were almost no highlight plays. It was 7-6 late into the fourth quarter. Fittingly, a Desmond Ridder interception cost the Falcons a chance to put the game away. The Panthers put together a long drive. Instead of letting Chuba Hubbard score with less than two minutes remaining, the Falcons tackled him at the 2-yard line, which meant they wouldn’t get the ball back. Carolina kicked a field goal and won 9-7.
The Falcons took a bad, bad loss in a tight NFC South race. If Falcons coach Arthur Smith loses his job after the season, this game will be one of the biggest reasons why. Not that anybody was watching.
#NFL #Winners #Losers #Tua #Tagovailoa #Impresses #Tyreek #Hill
