Sunday Night Football: Tua returns, helps Dolphins notch big win over Pittsburgh Steelers
After being the victim of a violent slam that led to a trip to the locker room (in back-to-back weeks), Tua Tagovailoa is officially back on the field.
Miami's QB1 suffered a head injury that kept him off the football field for two weeks. In a much anticipated return, Tua led the Dolphins to a victory - something the team failed to achieve through his absence.
The 24-year-old went 21-for-35 with 261 yards and a touchdown, adding an additional 15 yards on the ground.
It didn't take long for Tua to find his groove. In fact, Miami would score on their opening drive, and the team's signal caller would add a touchdown to the stat column five minutes into the contest.
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: Watch #PITvsMIA on @SNFonNBC1️⃣ to 3️⃣1️⃣ on the opening drive for the TD!! 🏎
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The former fifth-overall draft pick managed to avoid recording any turnovers, but the stout defense of the Steelers did get their hands on the ball multiple times. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, they couldn't haul any in.
At the end of four quarters, Miami walked away with a 16-10 win, courtesy of the defense snagging an interception against rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett in the final seconds of the contest.
Tagovailoa didn't pitch a perfect game, but he did play well enough to secure the victory. What more could you ask for in his first game back?
The Dolphins won, and the team's starting quarterback is back; life is good in Miami right now.
Tua hopes to get back to his MVP-caliber play prior to injury and continue winning
Miami's signal caller was playing exceptional football prior to suffering an injury that sidelined him for multiple weeks.
Through the first month of his '22 campaign, Tua logged 1,035 passing yards while completing 69.6% of his passes. The Alabama alum had a TD:INT ratio of 8:3, including a six touchdown performance against the Baltimore Ravens. Altogether, this gave him the highest quarterback rating in the league (109.9).
More importantly, Miami sat pretty with a 3-1 record thanks to their quarterback's efforts; the team's only loss coming in the game where the aforementioned injury occurred.
It's simple: When Tagovaolia plays ('til the finish), the Dolphins win. When he doesn't, the 0-3 record under such circumstances tells you all you need to know.