Tua Tagovailoa has certainly received his fair share of criticism throughout his fledgling NFL career, even though the Miami Dolphins quarterback has gone out of his way to silence doubters in the first two weeks of the season. . Tagovailoa became one of the game’s best early passers, a revamped quarterback thanks to an offensive-minded head coach (Mike McDaniel) and two of the game’s best point guards in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
The results show Tagovailoa is the Dolphins’ franchise quarterback, becoming one of the league’s most prolific passers in two games. Although it may be a small sample, Tagovailoa continues to show the progression as a quarterback that put him in the conversation with Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert – the other quarterbacks who were selected among the top 10 picks in the 2020 NFL Draft.
In this week’s “By The Numbers,” let’s take a look at Tagovailoa’s ranks among the NFL’s passing leaders so far this season and how his breakout performance on Sunday entered the NFL record books. Dolphins.
NFL passing leaders – completion rate
- Geno Smith (Seahawks) — 81%
- Josh Allen (Bills) — 75.4%
- Patrick Mahomes (chefs) – 73%
- Matthew Stafford (rams) – 72.7%
- Justin Herbert (Chargers) — 72%
- Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins) — 71.1%
NFL passing leaders – passing yards
- Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins) — 739
- Carson Wentz (Commanders) — 650
- Joe Flacco (Jets) — 616
- Josh Allen (bills) — 614
- Justin Herbert (Chargers) — 613
NFL Passing Leaders – TD Passes
- Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins) — 7
- Carson Wentz (Commanders) — 7
- Josh Allen (Bills) — 7
- Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) — 7
- Justin Herbert (Chargers) — 6
- Lamar Jackson (Ravens) — 6
- Jared Goff (Lions) — 6
NFL passing leaders – passer ranking
- Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) – 127.9
- Josh Allen (Bills) – 123.7
- Lamar Jackson (Ravens) — 120.1
- Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins) — 116.5
- Justin Herbert (loaders) — 112.5
In all four major passing categories, Tagovailoa ranks in the top six in all of them – the shocking lowest being his completion percentage. Tagovailoa is the only quarterback with 700 yards in two weeks and tied with Allen, Mahomes and Wentz for the lead in passing touchdowns — pretty good company.
Tagovailoa isn’t just about connecting on short passes either. He leads the NFL in passes that have gone over 10 aerial yards (434) and is tied for the league lead in completions (18) and passing touchdowns (5) on passes that have gone over 10 aerial yards. He is third in the league in yards per attempt (8.9) and fifth in the NFL in touchdowns per pass attempt (8.4). Tagovailoa threw for the first time on 42.2% of his pass attempts, behind only Mahomes in that category.
Bottom line, Tagovailoa is one of the best early quarterbacks in the league. His comeback in Sunday’s win over the Baltimore Ravens put the league on notice.
Most Achievements in the Game – History of the Dolphins
- Dan Marin (1986) — 39
- Dan Marin (1997) — 38
- Tua Tagovailoa (2022) — 36
Most Passing Yards in the Game – Dolphins History
- Dan Marin (1988) — 521
- Dan Marin (1994) — 573
- Dan Marin (1984) –470
- Tua Tagovailoa (2022) — 469
- Dan Marin (1995) — 450
Most passing touchdowns in the game – Dolphins history
- Bob Griese (1977) — 6
- Dan Marin (1986) — 6
- Tua Tagovailoa (2022) — 6
Tagovailoa’s performance was one of the best games ever for a quarterback in the legendary Dolphins franchise. Only Marino has more completions and passing yards in a game than Tagovailoa, who became the third quarterback to throw six touchdown passes in a game for the organization – joining Griese and Marino (who are arguably the two best quarterbacks to ever play for the franchise).
Five of Tagovailoa’s six touchdowns came in the second half, including four in the fourth quarter. He joined Joe Montana as the only quarterback in NFL history to throw four touchdown passes in a road game – and only the fifth quarterback in league history to complete the ‘feat.
The Dolphins were down 21 points in the fourth and came back to win, which was the biggest comeback in franchise history. Tagovailoa finished 13 of 17 for 199 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in the fourth quarter for a 154.2 rating — marking Miami’s first victory at M&T Bank Stadium and the Dolphins’ first victory in Baltimore since 1997.
The performance was historic for Tagovailoa, who has continued to prove he can win games for the Dolphins since becoming the starting quarterback. Looking at Tagovailoa’s first 23 starts, his criticisms have been overblown.
Highest completion percentage – first 23 starts (NFL history)
- Joe Burrow (Bengals) – 67.1%
- Deshaun Watson (Texans) – 66.9%
- Kurt Warner (rams) — 66.5%
- Justin Herbert (loaders) — 66.4%
- Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins) — 66.2%
Best winning percentage in first 23 career starts – since 2017
- Lamar Jackson (Ravens) — .870 (20-3)
- Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) — .739 (17-6)
- Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins) — .652 (15-8)
- Deshaun Watson (Texans) — .609 (14-9)
- Josh Allen (Bills) — .609 (14-9)
Tagovailoa has always had a high completion rate, although he was unable to get the ball downfield due to a poor offensive line in his first two years in the league. Despite just 27 touchdown passes, Tagovailoa is fifth in NFL history in completion percentage (66.2%) after a player’s first two seasons (minimum 500 attempts). That’s with three offensive coordinators in his first two seasons in the league, with the Dolphins enduring numerous trade rumors involving Tagovailoa’s status as the team’s starting quarterback.
The Dolphins eventually trusted Tagovailoa by developing an offense around him and giving him a chance to become the franchise’s quarterback. This decision paid off, even with the small sample size.