Tua Tagovailoa stays unbeaten as starter while Dolphins eye playoff run

Tua Tagovailoa was the victorious rookie as the Miami Dolphins topped the Chargers.

When the Miami Dolphins hosted the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10, two first-round rookie quarterbacks were facing off. Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert went No. 5 and 6, respectively, in the 2020 NFL Draft in hopes of reversing the fortunes for each of the Dolphins and Chargers. Prior to Sunday, both had shown reasons to believe they could be the future of their teams at the position.

On Sunday, Tua helped the Dolphins a 29-21 victory over the former Oregon standout and the Chargers, pushing Miami to a 6-3 record and a tight battle with the Buffalo Bills for the top spot in the AFC East. The Chargers, on the other hand, are now 2-7 — although their future is bright with Herbert.

In the case of Tagovailoa, he looked proficient, tossing for 168 yards and two touchdowns. He was complemented by the running of Salvon Ahmed, who rushed for 86 yards and a touchdown. Jakeem Grant had 43 yards receiving as the leading receiver and a touchdown in the process. The defense held Herbert to 187 yards passing with two scores and a costly interception that led to a Durham Smythe touchdown.

The Miami Dolphins are surging and the switch to Tua Tagovailoa has worked.

At one point, Miami was 3-3 and Ryan Fitzpatrick was the starting quarterback coming off an impressive win over the defending NFC champion 49ers. Then, head coach Brian Flores made the switch from the veteran to the rookie.

So far, the move looks to be a good one as the Dolphins are 3-0 since the change and are now in position to possibly win the division for the first time since 2008. Additionally, Flores is also showing that, though he is from the Bill Belichick coaching tree, he’s one of the coaches in that mold can thrive in the league away from Foxborough.

As for Tagovailoa, his poise and confidence cannot be questioned. He will surely need more help to eventually reach his full potential as the Dolphins move forward beyond the 2020 season.

For now, though, he can have the assurance of a victory over the quarterback that was taken with the pick after him. He will eventually face No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow and the Bengals in three weeks. But the Dolphins have to feel confident in their selection. He’s gaining steam and, with him, Miami is tantalizingly close to overtaking the Bills.