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Tua Tagovailoa benched amid struggles during close game
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Brian Flores continued his trend of benching Tua Tagovailoa when he feels he’s not getting enough out of his quarterback.

Tagovailoa was benched during the fourth quarter of Saturday’s Miami Dolphins game against the Raiders in Las Vegas. The Dolphins were trailing 16-13 at the time. Tagovailoa had played the entire game up to that point and was 17/22 but only had passed for 94 yards and a touchdown.

Though Tagovailoa led a touchdown drive to start the third quarter, the Dolphins’ offense went 3-and-out three straight times after that. The Raiders seemed to have Miami’s number at that point, which may be why Flores made the switch to Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick immediately led a 13-play, 84-yard drive that resulted in a field goal. The Dolphins should have had a touchdown on the drive, but Mike Gesicki dropped a pass in the end zone.

Tagovailoa was also benched during a loss to Denver in which he struggled.

Flores is in a tough spot as he is trying to get his team into the playoffs while also allowing the franchise a chance to see how its rookie quarterback looks. Sometimes it’s in the team’s best interest to let Fitzpatrick play.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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