The Miami Dolphins gave up their AFC East division lead in the final game of the regular season and will now have to go on the road to face the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card Round.
Along with the disadvantage of being on the road, the team will also be challenged with extreme weather.
How Has Tua Tagovailoa Performed in Cold Weather Games?
Weather.com says Saturday will feature conditions that include a high of 12 and a low of -5 degrees in Kansas City. At kickoff, the temperature is expected to be right around five degrees with a wind chill of -10, according to the National Weather Service.
These could be the coldest conditions either team has played in.
The Dolphins have lost 10 straight games where the kickoff temperature is below 40 degrees, which is the longest active streak in the NFL.
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who led the NFL in passing yards this season with 4,624, has lost each of the five coldest starts of his career. He completed 57% of his passes for five touchdowns and seven interceptions in those matchups.
Additionally, Tagovailoa is 6-13 in games under 70 degrees and 23-4 in games of 70+.
In his three coldest starts, Tagovailoa has taken losses. In 29 degrees against the Bills on Dec. 17, 2022, the Dolphins lost 32-29. In a 36-degree game also against the Bills on Jan. 3, 2021, the team lost 56-26. And in a 37-degree matchup on Jan. 2, 2022, against the Titans, they lost 34-3.
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On the other hand, Patrick Mahomes has a strong history of success in cold-weather games. He’s 25-6 in games with a temperature below 40 degrees at kickoff.
When the temperature is below freezing, Mahomes is 6-3 in his career.
Tagovailoa is making his first postseason start this weekend since he missed last year’s Wild Card matchup due to a concussion.
The Chiefs and Dolphins last met in Germany in November, with Kansas City earning a 21-14 victory. The Chiefs scored all 21 points in the first half, while the Dolphins scored zero. Tyreek Hill caught eight passes for 62 yards, and the Dolphins recorded just 292 yards of total offense.
At his Wednesday press conference, Tagovailoa brushed aside any concerns about how the harsh weather will impact his game.
“I think it’s just a feel of how everything is, what the ball feels like, what throwing feels like, what holding the ball feels like, if there’s wind, if there’s not wind, you have to take all those things into consideration,” Tagovailoa said. “But we’ll go there, we’ll test it out, and we’ll see what we have to do as far as adjusting or not.”
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