MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa led the NFL in Week 1 in passing yards (466), yards per attempt (10.4), and passing touchdowns (three) and was top five in passer rating (110) and adjusted EPA per play (.53).
There’s a reason he’s an MVP front-runner one week into the season: He was one of the best players in the league this past week.
His huge numbers were in large part a reflection of his eight completions of 20 or more yards, including a 47-yard dart to Tyreek Hill on 3rd-and-10 on Miami’s game-deciding touchdown drive.
This angle of Tua’s DIME to Tyreek Hill 🔥
(🎥 @micbro21)
pic.twitter.com/Eye7fdCYaj— PFF (@PFF) September 11, 2023
Questions about his arm strength and ability to throw deep should have been answered by watching his 2022 tape, when he was one of the best vertical passers in football.
And if you still have questions after watching Sunday’s 60 minutes of excellence, that’s a you problem.
And that’s not just us saying it. Tua is saying it too.
Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa to Critics: ‘466’
Asked Wednesday if there’s anyone who still argues that he can’t throw deep, he gave a deservedly salty response:
“I don’t care; I don’t care what anybody says. 466. That’s what 466 is, if I can’t throw deep.”
The NFL honored Tagovailoa’s monster day by naming him the AFC Offensive Player of the Week. It’s the second time in as many years that Tua has won that award; the other was for his 469-yard, six-touchdown game against the Baltimore Ravens last year.
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While that 2022 game might have been more impressive statistically, Sunday’s exhibition was probably his best individual effort as a pro.
Tagovailoa has always been broadly popular, but it’s nothing compared to what will come this fall if he and Miami’s offense continue playing like they did against Los Angeles.
Tua Tagovailoa is not an Overreaction Monday fan pic.twitter.com/dqgHJNHAQT
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) September 13, 2023
To that, Tua would say: Pump the brakes.
“It’s Week 1,” he added. “Everyone overreacts on everything. My personal opinion. Take that for what it’s worth. You’re either going to win the Super Bowl after the first game, or you’re the worst team ever and everything that comes with that.
“I would say for myself, that’s one of the reasons I don’t pay too much attention to the outside noise. But to me, that’s all it is. We still got to go on the road, and we’ve still got 16 games to play against 16 really, really good teams, and it starts with New England this week. That’s our main focus.”