Cam Newton takes a shot at Tua Tagovailoa after Dolphins' loss to Packers

Tua Tagovailoa not being able to win in cold weather continues to be a debatable topic among fans, media, and former NFL players. The Miami Dolphins have done nothing to silence those critics.

Many Dolphins fans are already tearing down their 2024 tents and preparing for 2025. The loss by Miami in frigid Green Bay Thursday night was the first nail in their season's coffin. With five games to go and two of those in cold-weather cities, the Dolphins' chances of making the playoffs are quite slim.

The bigger question, right or wrong, is why can't Tua win in cold weather? Jordyn Brooks said the elements may have impacted the game and said his team played "soft."

Cam Newton believes Tua Tagovailoa doesn't have the arm strength for cold-weather games

Now, former NFL quarterback Cam Newton is saying that when the weather dips, Tua's arm strength isn't very good. Newton didn't hold back when discussing Tagovailoa and the Dolphins on ESPN's First Take.

"Why are all of their routes dinks and dunks? Or it's in-breaking routes? Show me a deep nine ball or deep post or an out-breaking route. What am I saying? I'm saying Tua's arm strength is exposed in cold weather," said Newton.

"The verdict is out when scouting the Miami Dolphins because Tua doesn't have the arm strength in cold weather."

Newton was many things as a quarterback, but he did have a canon for an arm. Tagovailoa put up good numbers in the cold, throwing for 365 yards and two touchdowns. The problem is that most of those yards and both touchdowns came in the second half when the Dolphins were already being blown out and needed to throw the ball.

READ MORE: Tyreek Hill's message to Malik Washington is exactly what Dolphins need

Many argue that Tua's stats were padded given the circumstances of the game, and that might be accurate. However, it is left to you to decide for yourself what you want to believe. For me, there is a problem that goes far beyond Tua's arm strength in cold weather.

Something isn't clicking for the Dolphins when the temperatures dip, and on Thursday, we were back to watching the same team that consistently missed tackles and committed pre-snap penalties early and often.

Still, when the Dolphins had the ball, Tagovailoa didn't look good throughout the game. He missed targets and underthrew passes, but more importantly, he was under duress the entire game. Sacked five times by the Packers' defense, Tua was running just to buy extra time. Cold weather or not, that is the bigger problem.

It's hard to say whether or not Newton is right in his assessment, but Tua generally doesn't play great in cold weather. He can walk on the field without sleeves and call it mind over matter, and if he wins, great, but when they lose, it adds to a false narrative.

At some point, if Tagovailoa is going to be a great quarterback, he needs to lift his team and carry them on his back, no matter what the temperatures are. So far, he hasn't done that.

Until he does, the questions about him will continue.

More Dolphins News and Analysis