Tua Tagovailoa has enjoyed a sizzling start to the season, with the Dolphins quarterback leading the NFL in passing.
But he and the Miami offense might be facing a worst-case scenario this Sunday when the Dolphins play host to the Broncos. Tagovailoa is fine. But his dynamic two receivers aren’t healthy.
Tyreek Hill, who boldly predicted he’d eclipse 2,000 receiving yards this season, has a bad ankle. According to the Dolphins injury report, Hill was limited in Wednesday’s practice.
Then there’s Jaylen Waddle. He suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter after a dangerous hit from Marte Mapu in the Dolphins’ road win over the Patriots. Waddle still is in concussion protocol and it’s unclear whether he’s on track to be able to play against the Broncos.
Tua Tagovailoa’s 715 yards leads all league quarterbacks. He’s eight yards ahead of Kirk Cousins, whose Vikings are 0-2. It’s a given that Tagovailoa needs his two fleet receivers upright and healthy.
Tua Tagovailoa has stayed upright thanks to his o-line
Hill, in two games, has 16 catches for 255 yards. The yardage total is second in the NFL to Vikings star Justin Jefferson (300). However, he had only five catches and 40 yards against the Patriots. Meanwhile, Waddle has eight catches and 164 receiving yards.
Here’s also what’s helping Tua’s stats. The offensive line has upped their game. Defenses have touched Tua only five times in two games. The only other NFL quarterback with fewer hits is Baker Mayfield. Tagovailoa missed five games last year as he dealt with concussions. He worked hard in the off season on the concept of how to fall and help his body, and not his head, better absorb a hit or sack. It’s obvious football, but if the offensive line keeps the pocket clean, then the quarterback stays healthy.
“He’s done a phenomenal job of being where you want to be at in the pocket,” Miami guard Robert Hunt told the Palm Beach Post. “Yeah, he’s setting up in an area that he likes and he does a really good job with sensing the pressure, and, you know, it makes everybody’s job easy.”
But if you flip on the Dolphins-Broncos game, take note of the Denver defense. The Broncos defensive coordinator is Vance Joseph, who held the same job with the Dolphins seven years ago. Joseph leans heavily on the blitz to create a pass rush. So the offensive line will have to work well to keep Tagovailoa upright.
“They present a lot of challenges,” Tua Tagovailoa said of the Broncos defense. “You know, you’ve got to understand where those blitzers are coming from, you ‘ve got to understand where you want to protect them… We’ve got to figure out, you know, how we want to attack them in that sense.”
And it’ll certainly be a lot easier for Tua Tagovailoa if he has his two best receivers on the field with him.
More must-reads: