Phin Phanatic
FanSided

Five things that should be on Dolphin fans’ Christmas lists

By Neil Patrick Healy

ORCHARD PARK, NY - DECEMBER 17: Salvon Ahmed #26 of the Miami Dolphins celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown during the second quarter of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on December 17, 2022 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NY - DECEMBER 17: Salvon Ahmed #26 of the Miami Dolphins celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown during the second quarter of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on December 17, 2022 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) /
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ORCHARD PARK, NY – DECEMBER 17: Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins reacts after a play during the third quarter of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on December 17, 2022 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NY – DECEMBER 17: Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins reacts after a play during the third quarter of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on December 17, 2022 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) /

Stocking stuffer: Miami Dolphins Tua Tagovailoa finishes strong

Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been one of the headline stories in the NFL this season. After two so-so seasons under former head coach Brian Flores, Tagovailoa has taken a huge leap in McDaniel’s offense to become a statistical leader in almost every major category. He ranks first among all NFL quarterbacks in passer rating, touchdown-to-interception ratio, touchdowns per passing attempt, yards per attempt, and yards per completion. The third-year signal-caller has been empowered by a coach who believes in him and surrounds him with weapons to bring out the best in him.

That said, Tagovailoa’s two starts against the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Chargers went poorly and brought back many of the doubts some people had about him coming into the season. He performed better against Buffalo, but there were some missed throws late in the game.

For Tagovailoa’s sake, the next three games need to be a good stretch for him. Sunday offers up a friendly matchup against a lackluster Green Bay Packers defense, followed by division games against the New England Patriots on the road and the New York Jets at home. With Green Bay likely out of the playoff picture and New England and New York trending down, Tagovailoa needs a strong closing of the season to quiet some of the noise. Imagine if Tagovailoa has two or three stinkers and Miami misses the playoffs because of it. No Dolphins fan wants that. Going into the offseason with some peace of mind at the quarterback position would be one of the best gifts of all.

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