Tua and Miami Dolphins can get quick start against Patriots
The Miami Dolphins have a chance to get rolling in the 2021 NFL season with an important win over the New England Patriots.
Does Tua Tagovailoa want to shut downtime noise? Beating Bill Belichick in New England would be a fine way to do it.
Tagovailoa has been hearing the rumors all offseason of his Miami Dolphins being interested in Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, despite the legal issues he’s going through.Ultimately, though, Watson remains in Houston while Tagovailoa is going to be starting for the Dolphins this weekend, facing the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.
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For the Dolphins, this is an important season. Miami went 10-6 last year but failed to make the playoffs, even with the new expanded format. The Dolphins are entering the third year of head coach Brian Flores’ program, and while progress has been clear and swift, not reaching the postseason would be a crushing blow to the team’s momentum.
This all starts with Tagovailoa. Last year, the No. 5 overall pick threw for 1,814 yards on 6.3 YPA with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. General manager Chris Grier added receivers Will Fuller (free agent) and Jaylen Waddle (first-round pick) giving Tagovailoa a fantastic group of weapons.
Getting to the playoffs starts with taking care of business within division, and while the Buffalo Bills are the top dog in the AFC East, the Patriots could be the biggest hurdle for Miami. The Dolphins are trying to snag a wild card berth in a realistic reality, and New England is vying for the same spot. Beating the Patriots on their home turf would be a critical win and set up a tiebreaker victory should the Dolphins win the rematch in Miami come Week 18.
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Obviously, it’s Week 1. Tagovailoa and the Dolphins can play horribly, lose by 30 points and bounce back to make the playoffs and be a threat in January. Heck, we saw that last year with the Cleveland Browns, who got blasted in Baltimore by the Ravens only to go 11-5 and be a thorn in the Kansas City Chiefs’ side come the Divisional round. But winning this tilt against New England would put Miami in great position heading into the rest of September, which includes games facing the Bills (home) and Las Vegas Raiders (road).
This isn’t only a big game for Tagovailoa, but a significant opportunity for his Dolphins.
