The going is getting increasingly hard to digest for the Miami Dolphins. Coming into the season, they may have had hopes of reestablishing themselves as a playoff contender. But through the first seven weeks of the season, they have been far from anything close to that standard, holding a 1-6 record following a blowout loss to the Cleveland Browns.
There are plenty of areas where fans and the organization can point fingers. Head coach Mike McDaniel has found himself on the hot seat, and one of the biggest concerns for Miami this season has been quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Let’s take a closer look at the film he’s put together so far this year.
Tua Tagovailoa by the Numbers
During the Dolphins’ 31-6 loss to Cleveland in Week 7, Tagovailoa went 12-for-23 for 100 yards, had no touchdowns, and threw three interceptions.
He is up to 1,313 passing yards on the season while completing nearly 67.8% of his passes. However, where the going becomes inexcusable for the Hawaiian native is in the touchdown-to-interception numbers.
On the season, Tagovailoa has thrown 11 touchdowns while coughing up 11 interceptions. As a result, his struggles have transferred over to the Dolphins as a whole, who rank 22nd on PFSN’s Offense Impact.
To make matters worse, the timing of his turnovers has been game-killing for Miami. After a brutal showing against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1, the Dolphins had a chance to take the lead late in the fourth quarter against both the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills.
However, in consecutive weeks, an interception from the Alabama superstar effectively ended each match. While his performances were markedly better against the New York Jets and the Carolina Panthers, the last two weeks have erased any goodwill he may have had.
Throwing six interceptions against just one touchdown, his play has directly resulted in the team dropping to 1-6 while giving rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel the first victory of his NFL career.
Moreover, his numbers reveal a startling picture the deeper we dive into them. His completion percentage on passes thrown 10-plus yards downfield over the past four seasons has continually declined, with this year’s number being particularly poor:
- 2022: 62% (2.2% INT)
- 2023: 59.8% (5% INT)
- 2024: 54.6% (5.6% INT)
- 2025: 49.2% (8.2% INT)
Tagovailoa’s pressured passer rating is down 41.5 points from last year, with a career-low passer rating this season when trailing at 71.2 (previous three years were 110.0, 97.8, and 99.9).
At a certain point, McDaniel had no choice but to replace Tagovailoa with seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers. Finishing the game with 100 passing yards on 12 completions while throwing three interceptions, it seemed clear the Dolphins desperately needed to make a change.
However, in the short burst Ewers had, it didn’t seem like he could be the answer to Miami’s struggles.
