Miami Dolphins playoff hopes rest on Tua Tagovailoa and Chan Gailey

The Miami Dolphins could make the playoffs today or get eliminated depending on Tua Tagovailoa.

Today, Tua Tagovailoa and Chan Gailey are a pair. If the Miami Dolphins are going to beat the Bills in Buffalo, they need to be nearly perfect.

By the time four o’clock rolls around, we will know what the rest of January will hold for the Dolphins but first, we need to get to 1:00. Miami’s defense should hold up well enough today. The Bills are not a big power running team aside from Josh Allen but let us be honest with ourselves. Today, it’s about Tua Tagovailoa and Chan Gailey.

Fans have been debating the Gailey play calling all year and while he maintains that his playcalling is dictated by game situations, it has been different when Ryan Fitzpatrick has been on the field instead of Tua. Today, he needs to let Tua play football and open the playbook. Miami is not going to win with the flaccid play calling Gailey has been using in the first half of games.

Miami has to be aggressive and the only way to put Buffalo on their heels is to give Tua downfield targets that can open the running game. Tua is an accurate quarterback but this year he has been a bit erratic because he isn’t taking risks with the football. That is both good and bad.

Tua needs to settle in and let the plays develop and use his quickness to create time and space in the pocket but he also has to execute the play that is being called. He has good downfield vision but now he needs to recognize the critical throwing window and not second guess himself.

Today is the most important game of his young career and a win today could be what he needs to take that next step into 2021.