So that is the way it ended for the Miami Dolphins amid all of the noise of Baltimore, that is the way it ended in the course of their huddle with 14 seconds left and seven yards nonetheless to go in one of many biggest wins they’ve had in years.
“It’s us and them proper now,” quarterback Tua Tagovailoa informed his offense.
No crowd. No noise. Simply us and them. Receiver Jaylen Waddle later talked of that second with the offense listening and Tua talking with a fireplace that, as he mentioned, “fired me up,” he mentioned.
However these phrases didn’t put a smile on Tua’s Mona Lisa. That got here with the subsequent play, his final go, the one which snuck by a Ravens defender, got here down in Waddle’s palms ultimately zone and despatched the Dolphins not simply to a 42-38 win or a 2-0 document however probably, simply probably, into the form of future they’ve solely talked about for the final couple of many years.
You might dream that onerous, in the event you needed, after a day like this, a quarterback efficiency like this and coach Mike McDaniel was doing simply that. Tua had been magic in rallying the Dolphins from 21 factors down within the fourth quarter in a means he hadn’t been as a Dolphin — a way no Dolphins quarterback had been, to be truthful, since Dan Marino. Six touchdowns and 469 yards passing?
“It’s what you get into sports activities for,” McDaniel mentioned. “It’s nearly as good for the teaching employees and him that it was coming to life. I believe it was a second that he'll always remember, that hopefully he can use shifting ahead.”
If this magic was the beginning of one thing, it was wanted Sunday as a result of Lamar Jackson was making historical past on the opposite facet for Baltimore. This solely framed Tua’s heroics extra. Jackson grew to become the primary quarterback to throw and run for touchdowns of not less than 75 yards in the identical recreation. He threw three touchdowns and had an ideal quarterback score within the first half.
“Oh-my-gosh, sure,” Tua mentioned later when requested if he observed what Jackson was doing. “Oh my goodness, after all. I imply, how will you not watch somebody like that?”
Tua was nonetheless in his uniform, grass stains down the facet, as he talked of the day in a quiet and composed method. He had a marginal first half, a landing and two interceptions. The Dolphins had been down 28-7 then within the form of day that’s outline this franchise for the previous 20 years.
Nonetheless down 21 factors to begin the fourth quarter, Tua got here to life within the method McDaniel mentioned. He threw two landing passes — the second a 48-yarder to Tyreek Hill — to drag the Dolphins inside seven factors.
He then got here to the road with simply over 5 minutes left and noticed Baltimore had no safeties deep. Hill noticed it, too.
“I went ‘eeeee,’ " Hill mentioned afterward, making a shrill cry of a dolphin within the water that serves as some form of warning sign to his quarterback
Tua didn’t want a sign. He noticed Hill run free and clear and put a 60-yard landing go in his arms for the tying landing.
The script wasn’t achieved. Baltimore took the lead on Justin Tucker’s 51-yard area purpose. So Tagovailoa was requested not simply to slay a record-breaking quarterback however the recreation’s all-time high kicker. He did, too, proper to these phrases within the huddle and that go to Waddle.
Solely two quarterbacks in Dolphins historical past threw for six touchdowns in a recreation. Corridor of Famers Dan Marino and Bob Griese every did it as soon as.
“Now, possibly Tua will hearken to me,” McDaniel mentioned. “What I imply by that's, and I’ve mentioned this to you guys earlier than, It’s superior to be vital of your self. That’s good. He has a excessive customary for himself. However after the primary recreation, I simply needed to see the man take pleasure in enjoying soccer and perceive that, sure, we need to make the right learn and the right throw each time.
However, who cares in the event you simply get higher at one factor. You’re going to be fairly good on the finish of the season, let’s simply press ahead.”
McDaniel needed him to have enjoyable. You don’t hear that a lot from a NFL coach about his quarterback. What you noticed Sunday was much more uncommon across the Dolphins lately. The quarterback created all of the enjoyable proper to the ultimate huddle the place he mentioned it was us-versus-them after which made the go to resolve all of it.
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