Mike McDaniel has noticed a change in quarterback Tua Tagovailoa over the past month.
“He’s found a way to improve the way he plays the position throughout the game,” the Dolphins coach said on Sunday after Tagovailoa threw for four touchdowns in a dominant 34-15 win over the New England Patriots.
“The most monumental thing that you have to overcome as a quarterback is playing the position regardless of the ebbs and flows,” McDaniel added. “So not changing how you play based upon positive or negative results and letting every play stand on its own.”
Tagovailoa has mastered staying calm during Miami’s three-game winning streak, McDaniel pointed out, with his 317-yard passing performance on Sunday standing out.
The Dolphins (5-6) still have a small margin for error the rest of the season but have stayed in the race with a strong run, including two straight 30-point games. With their win at New England (3-9) in Week 5, the Dolphins have now swept their division rivals in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1999-2000.
Tagovailoa, who is now 7-0 in his career against New England, entered the game with the league’s highest completion rate at 73.4% and went 29 for 40. Since returning from injured reserve in Week 8, he has thrown 11 touchdowns and just one interception.
“We’re still below the .500 threshold, and it’s a long way to where we want to get to,” Tagovailoa said. “We’ll enjoy this win, but this next one is going to be big for us.”
The Dolphins have a quick turnaround with a game at Green Bay on Thursday.
Backup Skylar Thompson replaced Tagovailoa with about 11 minutes left in the blowout, but on his first play, a bad handoff led to a fumble that cornerback Christian Gonzalez recovered and returned 63 yards for a touchdown. This made the score 31-15, and Tagovailoa returned the next drive.
Miami’s defense held strong for the rest of the game. Linebacker Tyrel Dodson intercepted rookie quarterback Drake Maye on New England’s second-to-last drive, and Miami stopped the Patriots on fourth down on the following drive.
Jaylen Waddle caught eight passes for a season-high 144 yards, including a 23-yard touchdown that put Miami up 31-0 entering the fourth quarter. Running back De’Von Achane scored on a 9-yard screen pass and then added an 11-yard touchdown run in the first half.
Jonnu Smith had 87 yards on nine catches, continuing his strong first season with the Dolphins. A week after catching two touchdowns and setting a career-high with 101 yards, Smith found the end zone again on a 7-yard touchdown catch in the Dolphins’ second drive.
New England was held scoreless until tight end Austin Hooper got behind the Dolphins’ defense for a wide-open 38-yard touchdown catch from Maye to make the score 31-7 with 13:43 left.
Maye completed 22 of 37 passes for 221 yards and ran for 26 yards. However, he couldn’t overcome a sloppy performance from the Patriots, who couldn’t get anything going until the final quarter and committed 10 penalties.
“I always say I hate losing more than I like to win,” Maye said. “We got our butts whipped today, and it’s only up from here. We’ve got a bright future and the right players in there for the Patriots.”
New England’s best drive of the first half lasted 12 plays and covered 80 yards, but it included three offensive penalties and ended with a missed 45-yard field goal by Joey Slye.
The Patriots forced a Dolphins punt and moved down the field again on the opening drive of the second half, with Maye completing an improvised 10-yard throw on third down to receiver Kendrick Bourne.
New England then tried a double pass with Bourne, but his cross-field throw fell short of Rhamondre Stevenson on 3rd-and-17.
DeMario Douglas led the Patriots with 61 yards receiving. Antonio Gibson had six carries for 30 yards.
With this loss, the Patriots are set to finish their third straight season with a losing record. This marks the first time since 1991-1993 that New England has had three consecutive losing seasons.
“Once those guys cross the white lines, there’s nothing I can do for them,” coach Jerod Mayo said. “There’s nothing any coach can do for them. It’s my job to continue to prepare not only them, but our coaches as well.”
