It's hard to believe that it was only five days ago that the Miami Dolphins were giving Atlanta Falcons fans and media a fit. The blowout victory had the radio stations buzzing on Monday morning, but it seems as though that was just a mirage.
Tua Tagovailoa threw four touchdowns in that game. It was enough to convince some that he is still the Dolphins' best option as a franchise quarterback. Thursday's loss to the Baltimore Ravens proved that it isn't quite the case week-to-week.
While Tagovailoa didn't play horribly against the Ravens, he didn't elevate them either. It's hard to lead a team that continually shoots itself in the foot. It's also hard to overcome average when that is as good as you are.
Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa can't overcome his own teammates' mistakes because he can't
Some fans will blame the offensive line, others will blame Mike McDaniel, and then there are those with the pitchforks out and the torches lit, ready to blame everyone. Is there a reality anymore?
Is anyone actually right about what Tagovailoa can and can't do? His accuracy was never questioned, but his decisions with the ball are rightfully being discussed.
Tagovailoa finished his game going 24 of 40 for 261 yards and an interception. Most of those yards came in the first half and in clean-up late when the game was out of control.
Despite taking more shots downfield than he has in recent weeks, he still relied heavily on the dump and short-yardage passes.
One of the biggest problems is that Tagovailoa isn't a game-changing quarterback. He isn't consistent. While he can hit a tough out pattern in traffic, he isn't setting his feet anymore, and he isn't rotating through the throw with his hip. He is sailing too many passes beyond his receivers.
Of course, it doesn't matter when your team isn't playing consistently either. More pre-snap mistakes continue to create offensive problems that Tagovailoa can't overcome.
As the game got out of hand, Tagovailoa got worse. He took sacks he shouldn't have taken because he lacks the mobility in the pocket. His throws became less focused and tight, leading to poor overthrows or missed opportunities.
The Dolphins are a bad football team, and Tagovailoa is a big reason why that is. He isn't the entire problem; he isn't even one of the top three problems on this team, but he is still part of the problem, no matter how much some want to defend him.
Tagovailoa's performance will look fine on the stat sheet, but it didn't pass the eye-ball test. He started strong, but as we have come to see, he doesn't always finish that way. He didn't on Thursday night.