MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — During quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's four-game absence, the Miami Dolphins looked like one of the worst teams in the NFL.
They averaged just 10 points per game while going 1-3 and surpassed 150 yards passing just once.
The Dolphins have appeared to be a completely different team since Tagovailoa's return from a concussion in Week 8, winning three straight games while scoring 30 points twice.
Tagovailoa's precision in a 34-15 win over the New England Patriots was the latest display of his value to the team.
“Tua has been playing great ball,” said receiver Jaylen Waddle, who had a season-high 144 yards and a touchdown on Sunday after averaging just 29.8 yards per game without Tagovailoa.
“It’s really just him, for real. I can’t even explain it," Waddle added. "He comes to work every day, and he just brings that swag, that confidence, and when he goes out there and plays like that, man, it’s just fun.”
Tagovailoa — the NFL's most accurate passer, completing 73.3% of his passes — was 29 of 40 for 317 yards passing and four touchdowns against New England. Since his return, Tagovailoa's 116.2 passer rating is the highest among NFL quarterbacks with at least 50 pass attempts.
He has completed at least 70% of his passes in five straight games, which is the longest streak in his career and longest active streak in the NFL right now. The Dolphins (5-6) lead the league in third-down efficiency (60.4%) and have scored on 14 of 19 trips inside the red zone since Tagovailoa returned.
Coach Mike McDaniel said one of Tagovailoa's biggest areas of improvement has been his ability to let each play stand on its own and not get too caught up on a good or bad play.
“That’s the key for our team,” McDaniel said, “is when you have a confident player touching the ball every play that is impervious to the emotions of the game, good or bad, as a collective unit, you can be a problem for people to defend.”
As well as he played on Sunday, Tagovailoa was ready to turn the focus to a tough game in chilly Green Bay on Thursday.
“I would say it’s always great to win ... We’re still below the .500 threshold," Tagovailoa said, “and it’s a long way to where we want to get to. We’ll enjoy this win, but this next one is going to be big for us, and we’re excited to go down to Green Bay and show everybody on prime time what we can do.”
Tagovailoa described the game as a chance to “kill narratives.”
“Bring it on,” he added.
The Dolphins historically have struggled in cold-weather games.
Miami's dynamic offense was completely shut down last season when the Dolphins faced Kansas City in a blustery game at Arrowhead Stadium in which the temperature was minus-4 degrees at kickoff.
Before that 26-7 loss, they'd lost 10 straight when the temperature was 40 degrees or colder, and by an average of 17 points. Tagovailoa is winless in games of 45 degrees or colder, and the projected low in Green Bay on Thursday night is around 20 degrees.
“The Packers aren’t going to care about our three-game win streak,” McDaniel said. “The Packers are going to want to make us the team that can’t win in the cold or beat good teams. We’ll have an opportunity on Thursday to either prove them right or wrong.”
What's working
The Dolphins went from one of the most penalized teams in the NFL early this season to limiting them as the year went on. Miami was flagged three times for 17 yards on Sunday, including none in the first half.
What needs help
Miami gave up a couple of big plays in the fourth quarter. Patriots tight end Austin Hooper got behind the defense for a 38-yard touchdown, and cornerback Christian Gonzalez returned a fumble 63 yards for a score after running back Jaylen Wright couldn't secure a handoff.
Stock up
LB Chop Robinson. The rookie has improved throughout the season and had the first multi-sack game of his career with 1 1/2 on Sunday. He also had four tackles, three quarterback hits and two pass deflections. With 3 1/2 sacks over the past four games, Robinson is second among rookies in sacks behind Rams DT Braden Fiske (4).
Stock down
Backup quarterbacks. Sunday's game showed the huge drop off in play when Tagovailoa is not running Miami's offense. Backups Skylar Thompson, Tim Boyle and Tyler “Snoop” Huntley were not able to efficiently run Miami's offense while Tagovailoa was out, resulting in short drives and an inability to string together any momentum. Thompson played one snap on Sunday, which was the handoff to Wright that the running back fumbled in the fourth. Tagovailoa came back in after that.
Injuries
Starting linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. had to be helped off the field after injuring his hamstring in the second quarter. He did not return.
Key number
300 — Miami's defense held New England to 269 total yards, which is the sixth time this season the Dolphins have limited an opponent to fewer than 300 yards. That's tied for the third most in the NFL this season.
Next steps
The theme among Miami players after Sunday's game was to recover and get their bodies ready for Thursday's trip to Green Bay.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Alanis Thames, The Associated Press
