Tua Tagovailoa is doing one thing with any degree of consistency; he is proving Miami Dolphins fans are right about his status as a franchise quarterback, but this loss wasn't on him.
On Sunday, the Dolphins didn't lose because Tagovailoa was the quarterback, but they didn't get much help from him either. Whether it was ill-advised throws, interceptions, or poor judgments, Tagovailoa struggled throughout the game and even led what should have been a game-winning drive. It was still just too much.
Miami led in the first half, but as the defense collapsed in the second, Tagovailoa and the offense couldn't overcome his inconsistent play, and the defense couldn't stop the Chargers when he finally did it right.
Miami Dolphins sink to 1-5 after second half collapse against the Los Angeles Chargers
It became clear in the second half that Jim Harbaugh and his coaching staff made the needed adjustments to turn the game around. Mike McDaniel, on the other hand, did not.
The Dolphins looked as though they might stay in control of their week six game against the Chargers, but as has been the case all year, the second half doomed them.
Miami's offense could only watch as the Chargers scored on their first three possessions of the second half to build a lead that Tagovailoa fought back from.
The Dolphins quarterback overcame an interception in the third quarter, and then late in the fourth quarter brought the Dolphins ahead with less than a minute to go in the game.
With 46 seconds left, Herbert was able to get away from Miami's stiff pressure to deliver the plays to get his team into field goal range. Cameron Dicker did the rest with his fifth field goal of the day.
It's time for the Dolphins to shift their focus to the future. That means moving players off the roster now and calling it a season. There is little chance of this team turning around this miss.
Tagovailoa, for his part, has not become the leader fans have expected. Again, there are more areas of this team to point fingers at, but the quarterback is the guy front and center.
Miami isn't getting the quality of play it needs from its quarterback, but today, it was the defense that ultimately let him down.