The Miami Dolphins lost on Sunday despite Tua Tagovailoa playing arguably the best game of his career against the Buffalo Bills—certainly his best game of 2024. After the game, he took to the podium, and fans were not convinced with what he had to say.
There's plenty of blame to go around for the performance, but Tagovailoa provided an optimistic outlook despite the last-second loss.
Theoretically, the Dolphins could run the table and win the last nine games, but fans also know that they could just as easily lose them. Tagovailoa said he isn't worried about the playoffs. He is thinking about one game at a time.
Tua said that the team is trying to win out. Dolphins fans may start hoping that they just throw in the towel and tank sooner rather than later.
"For the most part with where we want to go and what we're trying to do, I would say it's a really good step in the right direction," said Tagovailoa. "We're not worried about anything else but the next opponent. Playoffs, any of that, we're not worried about that. We're worried about who the next opponent is, and we're trying to win out."
The Dolphins are 2-6 and realizing that any chance they had to succeed this year comes down to likely needing to run the table.
Dolphins face an impossible task of reaching playoffs after latest loss
Dolphins fans have not been kind on social media. They continue to call the season done, and for good reason. How can the Dolphins faithful believe in a team that has narrowly beaten the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars for their only two wins of the NFL season while still having to face the New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, and Green Bay Packers?
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The Dolphins are not a good football team, but they are not a bad team, either. Tua can say they are playing one week at a time, but they should have been all year.
Miami will likely beat the Las Vegas Raiders, Cleveland Browns, and New York Jets at least once, and probably one more before the end of the year, giving them six wins, just enough to ensure they are selecting somewhere in the teens during next year's draft.
As for the playoffs, Tua can talk all he wants about what they want to do, but the reality is they haven't done enough at all this year. Next week's trip to Los Angeles to play the Rams won't be easy either, and it's their last chance.