A lot would have needed to happen for the Miami Dolphins to take Week 18 from the far superior New England Patriots, but Quinn Ewers looked like the leader the team needs.
Ewers was poised in the pocket and wasn't flustered by the Patriots' pass rush. Now, the Dolphins have a decision to make: Is there enough on tape with the young QB to do whatever they can to move on from Tua Tagovailoa, or is the former starter going to stick around one more year?
Regardless of what that decision is, Tagovailoa is not going to be handed the job, and Ewers showed enough to at least keep his name in the conversation.
Quinn Ewers continues to do the things Tua Tagovailoa said he can't for the Miami Dolphins
Earlier in the season, Tagovailoa spoke about other quarterbacks and how his game was limited by not being able to do some of those things they do. Ewers showed he doesn't have those same limitations.
Unlike Tagovailoa, Ewers wasn't afraid to run the ball when forced out of the pocket. He showed he can throw deep without having to put his entire body into it, as Tagovailoa has said he has had to.
Another plus to his game is the fact that Ewers continued to show in his third start that he can stand in the pocket with the patience to let plays develop in front of him.
He wasn't perfect, but expecting him to be against the Patriots was going to be asking for a lot. He led several drives that should have ended in points, including a third-quarter drive that ended with a horrible end-zone interception.
Overall, it was an average game for Ewers despite the pick, but there is a lot of room to grow, and it will be interesting to see what he learns to do this offseason when his practices may not be limited to dealing with the third-string players.
It would be interesting to see if he can run the quick throw plays that McDaniel has for Tagovailoa; Ewers hasn't been put in that position just yet.
What is interesting to watch is the fact that Ewers can move both right and left and knows to square his hips before making the throw, another trait that keeps defenses honest.
When 2026 arrives, the Dolphins can't afford to believe that Ewers is the only option; he isn't. There have been good signs of what he may develop into, but this has been an issue for the Dolphins for decades. They need to double up and let the QBs compete. It will be interesting to see if Tagovailoa is one of those QBs.