There will be bigger days for Tua Tagovailoa if all goes according to plan in Miami, but the Dolphins will take wins regardless of how pretty their first-round pick’s numbers might be in the victory.
Tagovailoa was 12-of-22 for 93 yards and lost a fumble when he was stripped by Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald in the first quarter of Sunday’s game. He came back to throw his first NFL touchdown at the end of the quarter and the Dolphins defense would take over from there.
Miami forced four Jared Goff turnovers, including a fumble that was returned for a touchdown, and Jakeem Grant returned a punt for a touchdown as the Dolphins built up a 28-7 first half lead. The Rams would close within 28-17, but couldn’t get any closer as they fell to 5-3 on the season.
Los Angeles dominated time of possession and ran 44 more offensive plays than the home team while outgaining them by 326 yards. Goff’s turnovers were too much for the team to overcome when all was said and done, however, and they’ll need something less sloppy from the quarterback to bounce back after their bye week.
The Dolphins are 4-3 and turn their attention to next week’s road game against the Cardinals. With Tagovailoa and Kyler Murray, that matchup will feature a couple of the league’s intriguing young quarterbacks.