When the Miami Dolphins needed their franchise quarterback to step up and lead the team to a defining victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday, Tua Tagovailoa failed.
The Dolphins are not out of the playoffs, but they are now three games back of the Denver Broncos and two games behind the Los Angeles Chargers. The Indianapolis Colts lost, putting Miami in a three-way tie at 6-8 with the Colts and Cincinnati Bengals.
A victory on Sunday would have given the Dolphins a huge boost, with the Chargers and Colts losing, but they couldn't get it done. That brings us back to Tagovailoa, who, instead of lifting the team on his shoulders, threw three interceptions and fumbled the ball on a strip sack. After the game, Tagovailoa spoke with the media.
"Plain and simple, just my fault. I’ve got to protect the ball. I’ve got to play better ball for our guys, especially in a situation where the team is counting on me to go and drive our offense down to potentially tie the game up, and that’s not what I did. That’s not how you win games in this league.
Very disappointed with how I played today and with how I conducted myself on the field, with our guys, with our team. I just need to be better in all aspects with that.”
There was no one else Tagovailoa could have blamed but himself, but this is the problem. He can stand at the podium and say all the right words, but the fact remains that he didn't elevate his play when the team counted on him to do so.
A couple of weeks ago, Tagovailoa stood at a podium and told the media that his play in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills should have been different because he let his team down by not sliding. Yet in Sunday's loss, he once again threw himself head-first between two defenders, risking his body.
Until Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa can win big games, his poor play against good teams will define his career
Tagovailoa's words fall flat simply because he still has yet to make a statement and lead his team against a good football team and win. Today, Miami's playoff life was on the line, and he failed them again.
Tagovailoa said this Dolphins team loves football and no one is planning their offseason trips when asked about the team's postseason hopes, but he knows this team isn't making the playoffs.