It’s hard to fathom that the Miami Dolphins are 5-6 following a 34-15 Week 12 win over the New England Patriots.
Once Tua Tagovailoa suffered another concussion, the Dolphins were left without a solid contingency plan beyond their oft-injured quarterback. Getting the ball to playmakers like Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Jonnu Smith and De’Von Achane sounds simple in theory, but the execution had been a different story.
Skylar Thompson, Tyler ‘Snoop’ Huntley and Tim Boyle each struggled to play the role of offensive facilitator. The Dolphins needed a point guard — a Darren Collison, if you will — to get the ball into the hands of their playmakers.
That didn’t happen, hence the under .500 record entering Week 13.
But the Dolphins’ fortunes have changed since then, and much of the credit goes to Tagovailoa, who’s been the point guard Miami’s offense desperately needed. Former Dallas Cowboys head coach and NBC Sports analyst Jason Garrett made the bold comparison, calling Tagovailoa the Magic Johnson of this offense — a playmaker whose absence creates a massive void.
After back-to-back losses to the Cardinals and Bills, Tagovailoa has rallied the Dolphins to three straight wins over the Rams, Raiders and Patriots.
And as Garrett aptly put it, “The guy is Magic Johnson. I’ve never seen a guy see the field this quickly and get the ball out of his hands so quickly into these holes where guys can catch it. He’s a magician.”
Jason Garrett on Tua Tagovailoa: “The guy is Magic Johnson.
— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) November 25, 2024
Without Tua, the Dolphins’ offense is like a basketball team without its floor general — the offense doesn’t flow the same.
When you take this guy out of the lineup, no one can replace him,” Garrett added. “He’s playing as well as anyone in the league right now.”
[NBC]
