Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa Does Something Downright Marino-Esque

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa this year is putting up MVP-caliber numbers that harken back to the best years from the best player in franchise history. And fittingly, the accolades have followed.

The latest honor for the Dolphins’ fourth-year quarterback?

AFC Offensive Player of the Month for September.

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Tua Tagovailoa Named AFC’s Top Offensive Player in September

Tagovailoa is the first Dolphins player to win that particular award in 30 years. The last to do it?

Scott Mitchell in October 1993.

.@Tua is the first @MiamiDolphins player to win AFC Offensive Player of the Month in 30 years.

Other Dolphins winners of AFC Offensive Player of the Month :
October 1993 – QB Scott Mitchell
October 1988 – QB Dan Marino
November 1986 – QB Dan Marino https://t.co/oIdFc7XlfW

— Brett Brecheisen (@bbrech) September 28, 2023

Hall of Famer Dan Marino, the standard to which all Dolphins quarterbacks have been compared for the last quarter-century, won the award twice — in November 1986 and October 1988.

Tagovailoa’s September stats were otherworldly.

• 71.3 completion percentage
• 341.3 passing yards per game
• 121.9 passer rating
• 10.1 yards per attempt

Tagovailoa leads the AFC in touchdown passes (eight) and passing yards (1,024) — the latter of which is a Dolphins record through the first three games of the season.

MORE: NFL QB Power Rankings Week 4 2023 — Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert Continue To Impress

Individual success has translated to team success. The Dolphins at 3-0 are the lone undefeated team left in the conference. They have scored more (130) and gained more yards (1,651) than any NFL team through the first three games since the merger in 1970.

And with a win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, they would lead the entire division by two games and hold key tiebreakers.

Tagovailoa is the Dolphins’ first player of the month since Melvin Ingram won the defensive award in 2022.

When asked Wednesday the last time he’s had this much fun playing football, Tagovailoa responded:

“Probably in college. It’s hard in this league to do good things because guys on the other side are really good as well. They study, and they’re really good. But it’s been a lot of fun, that’s for sure this year.”