Likes and dislikes from the Miami Dolphins loss to the Packers

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MIAMI GARDENS, FL – DECEMBER 25: Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins walks to the sidelines dejected after throwing an interception to De’Vondre Campbell #59 of the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game at Hard Rock Stadium on December 25, 2022 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) /

Dislike: Tua Tagovailoa’s collapse

The third-year Dolphins quarterback has been a point of contention all season, both amongst the fanbase and in the media. When the AFC Pro Bowl roster was released this week, Tagovailoa was not one of the three quarterbacks awarded a spot, despite being first in the league in passer rating, touchdown-to-interception ratio, touchdowns per passing attempt, yards per attempt, and yards per completion. There was some debate on whether Tagovailoa deserved one of those spots occupied by Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, Buffalo’s Josh Allen, and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow.

Those arguments were quickly put to bed after Tagovailoa’s disaster of a fourth quarter. Of the eight passes he threw, three were intercepted. None of the interceptions were particularly close, either. They were either Tagovailoa overthrowing his receivers or him forcing the ball into windows that weren’t there. What made the interceptions even worse was that they were back-breakers. The first one came early in the fourth quarter on the first play of the drive after the defense forced an Aaron Rodgers interception and the game was still tied. The second and third came when it was still a one-possession game. Any hopes of rallying in the fourth quarter slowly faded with each Tagovailoa turnover.

The situation went from bad to worse on Monday when Tagovailoa entered concussion protocol. This marks the second time this season that Tagovailoa has been put into the protocol, the first being after a Week 4 game against Cincinnati. He also showed concussion symptoms one week earlier against Buffalo, but he was evaluated and stayed in the game. Miami backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is set to take first-team snaps this week, but the Dolphins have not officially named a starter for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots. The news of Tagovailoa’s potential head injury may explain the stark difference in his play from one half to the next.

Next season, Tagovailoa will be entering the fourth year of his rookie contract. The deadline for teams to pick up the fifth-year option is May 2. Games like this, along with the injury scares this season, may cast doubt on Tagovailoa’s future, both with the Dolphins and as a football player.

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