Is it time to purchase into the Tua Tagovailoa hype on this new-look Miami Dolphins offense but?
What began as one other story of the Dolphins dealing with torment in Baltimore became an exciting comeback the place Tagovailoa threw for 469 yards and 6 touchdowns, each profession highs with the landing mark tying a franchise document.
The Dolphins got here again from down three touchdowns within the fourth quarter to beat the Ravens, 42-38, on Sunday afternoon at M&T Financial institution Stadium.
“I used to be actually hoping that we might get some adversity on this sport, and I wish to see how we might reply to a deficit, and apparently, they only took me approach too literal,” mentioned Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel.
“I simply challenged them to say, ‘Who cares what the rating is?’ It’s about how we play soccer collectively.”
The Dolphins (2-0) received in Baltimore for the primary time since 1997, snapping a four-game shedding streak there. McDaniel is the primary Miami coach to begin his tenure 2-0 since Jimmy Johnson in 1996.
Tagovailoa’s six passing touchdowns have solely beforehand carried out by a Dolphin twice: Bob Griese (1977, at St. Louis Cardinals) and Dan Marino (1986, at New York Jets). He was 36 of fifty on Sunday. 4 of his landing passes got here within the fourth quarter as Miami outscored Baltimore (1-1), 28-3, in that closing interval.
“We have been executing on all cylinders offensively,” Tagovailoa mentioned. “After which, when there have been occasions once we didn’t execute, nobody panicked.”
Tagovailoa’s prime two targets, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, mixed for 361 receiving yards — Hill with 190 and Waddle with 171. Every had 11 receptions and two landing catches — the game-winner with 14 seconds left going to Waddle.
Tagovailoa, who improved to 8-1 vs. Tremendous Bowl-winning coaches with the win over Baltimore coach John Harbaugh, outdueled Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson after Jackson’s effectiveness dealing with Miami’s blitz-heavy defensive strategy gave the impression to be the story for a lot of the day.
Jackson regarded nearer to how he did within the 2019 opener in opposition to Miami, when he threw for 5 touchdowns in a 59-10 mauling, than he did in final 12 months’s Dolphins upset once they attacked him with an unremitting blitz. The Pompano Seashore native and Boynton Seashore Excessive grad had an ideal passer ranking of 158.3 till late within the sport. He completed passing for 318 yards and three touchdowns to completely different receivers — tight finish Mark Andrews and wideouts Rashod Bateman and Demarcus Robinson. Jackson added 119 yards on the bottom for his eleventh profession 100-yard speeding efficiency, an NFL document for a quarterback.
The ultimate dagger amongst Tagovailoa’s 4 fourth-quarter touchdowns was a 7-yard strike to Waddle with 14 seconds left. A 28-yard Chase Edmonds run set the Dolphins up on the 7-yard line within the closing seconds. All Jackson had left to do on the ultimate play was throw a Hail Mary to the tip zone, which fell incomplete.
“I ain’t acquired to say an excessive amount of,” mentioned Hill about Tagovailoa after an offseason of unrelenting assist for his new signal-caller after asking for a commerce from the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs to Miami this offseason. “All individuals acquired to do is simply take a look at the movie of simply Tua and who he's and the way constant he's. That final drive that we had, it actually confirmed who he was as a frontrunner.”
Down 35-14 to begin the fourth quarter, Tagovailoa first drove 75 yards in seven performs, capping the drive by hitting large receiver River Cracraft from 2 yards out for the practice-squad elevation’s first profession landing reception.
Hill was out momentarily, coping with cramps, however as soon as he returned, he scored lengthy touchdowns on back-to-back drives. First, he went deep center for a 48-yard landing excessive of the protection. Then, he flew by Ravens cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis for a 60-yard rating.
Miami tied Baltimore, 35-35, with 5:19 remaining.
The Ravens answered because the dependable Justin Tucker knocked via a 51-yard discipline objective with 2:18 remaining earlier than the Dolphins had the final chuckle.
“[McDaniel] is at all times going to say this, and that is type of just like the mindset for our crew: Adversity is alternative,” Tagovailoa mentioned. “And that’s how we take a look at it.”
The Dolphins began down in a landing gap instantly Sunday when Devin Duvernay, an All-Professional return specialist, took the opening kickoff 103 yards for a landing 13 seconds into the motion.
The Ravens appeared primed to increase their early lead with an 18-play, 72-yard possession that took up 10:53, however they got here up empty on the time-consuming drive. Jackson mishandled a snap on fourth-and-goal on the 1-yard line, and the fumble was recovered by Baltimore for a turnover on downs. Jackson appeared to attempt to transfer ahead with the ball for a sneak earlier than he totally managed the snap.
Beginning at their very own 6-yard line, the Dolphins shortly maneuvered 94 yards to tie the Ravens, 7-7, thanks largely to Tagovailoa’s reference to Waddle. He hit him as soon as for a move over the center that went for 59 yards after Waddle’s run after catch after which once more for a 6-yard landing on a display.
That landing was scored with 10:54 left within the second quarter. The Ravens answered on the 10:44 mark. The very first play of the following drive, Jackson discovered Bateman open slicing in in opposition to Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard with no security to cease Bateman over the center after Baltimore’s pre-snap movement.
Baltimore, after fumbling earlier, took benefit of its subsequent alternative on the 1-yard line. Jackson tossed a simple move to Andrews after their 25-yard reference to Andrews beating cornerback Keion Crossen acquired the Ravens down close to the objective line on a play that was initially known as a landing however overturned upon overview.
Earlier than halftime, Jackson drove the Ravens 80 yards in six performs over 51 seconds, linking with Robinson for a 12-yard landing.
A 15-yard landing connection between Tagovailoa and tight finish Mike Gesicki inched the Dolphins to inside two scores in the course of the third quarter, however Jackson reeled off his 79-yard speeding landing late within the third to drag Baltimore again forward by three touchdowns earlier than the fourth-quarter comeback.
“That is one in every of my favourite wins of my complete profession,” mentioned linebacker Duke Riley. “You have been in another person’s residence. You're down by that a lot in another person’s place, issues often don’t come again and play like that.”
Miami’s first possession resulted in an interception as security Marcus Williams tipped a Tagovailoa move supposed for Hill after which got here up with the ball from his again. Williams intercepted Tagovailoa once more late within the first half, dragging his toes inbounds alongside the sideline.
The Dolphins return residence in Week 3 to host the Buffalo Payments in a divisional matchup.
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