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Both Miami Dolphins top players snubbed as NFL MVP finalists

Despite sensational seasons, the two Dolphins' playmakers are left off of the list. This is another bias against South Florida athletes. Tagovailoa was listed as a finalist for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

By Scott Alan Salomon

Tua Tagovailoa attempts to throw a pass against Kansas City in an AFC Wild Card game earlier this month
Tua Tagovailoa attempts to throw a pass against Kansas City in an AFC Wild Card game earlier this month / Kara Durrette/GettyImages
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Two Miami Dolphins offensive superstars were left out of the top five candidates for the NFL MVP Award which will be awarded at the NFL Honors in Las Vegas on February 8.

Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill, who both had incredible seasons for Miami, did not make the list of five finalists as announced by the National Football League on Thursday.

Tagovailoa led the NFL with 4,624 yards passing during the regular season and completed 69.3 percent of his passes while tossing 29 touchdowns. He led a high-octane offense that fizzled towards the end of the year but was accurate and on top of his game for most of the season.

An argument could be made that Tua was more deserving than Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys. Prescott was third in total passing yards and lost head-to-head to Tagovailoa when the two teams met on Christmas Eve in Miami. The argument for Prescott is his 4:1 touchdown to interception ratio. Tua was only 2:1.

Tagovailoa was listed as a finalist for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year as Tua came back from season-ending concussions that he suffered at the end of 2022. Other players listed are Damar Hamlin, Joe Flacco, Baker Mayfield, and Matthew Stafford. Hamlin, a defensive back, was the only non-quarterback to make the list.

Tyreek Hill, L'Jarius Sneed
Tyreek Hill running a route against Kansas City's L'Jarius Sneed during the Wild Card game against Kansas City / Jamie Squire/GettyImages

Hill, meanwhile, finished second in the NFL with 119 receptions for 1799 yards, which led the entire league. He scored13 touchdowns which also set the pace for NFL receivers. Hill was looking to attain 2,000 yards and top Calvin Johnson's all-time mark, but Hill missed one full game and parts of others with nagging ankle and leg injuries.

The list features four quarterbacks and a running back. Lamar Jackson should run away with the award, but Brock Purdy has proven that he is just a game manager and a system quarterback. He does not lead the 49ers as Tua leads the Dolphins. Christian McCaffrey leads the 49ers offense and so goes McCaffrey, so goes the 49ers.

Buffalo's Josh Allen rounds out the top five and the mere mention of his name to Dolphins fans makes them shake and shiver. Allen and the Bills beat Miami twice during the 2023 season, Allen is as dangerous with his legs as he is with his right arm. He put that on display in the season-ending victory over the Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium.

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