Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa And Mike McDaniel Have Unlocked An Explosive Offense

It has been far from a straightforward first season for Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel but, following their Week 8 victory over the lowly Detroit Lions, it is clear the marriage between him and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is a union that can pay substantial dividends for a franchise long since starved of success.

The Dolphins outscored the Lions 24-6 at Ford Field after falling behind 21-7 in the second quarter, improving to 5-3 as they claimed a 31-27 win behind a superb performance from Tagovailoa and the Miami offense.

Tagovailoa threw for 382 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Dolphins out of a 14-point hole and, while that performance came against a Lions defense that is the worst in the NFL by yards per play allowed, his ability to put the team on his back should breed faith the combination of him and McDaniel is one that can help Miami compete with the best in the AFC.

Miami’s previously often maligned signal-caller completed 17 passes of 10 yards or more against Detroit, with Miami continuing to reap the benefits of having two dynamic speed receivers in the form of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who combined for a remarkable 294 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

The Dolphins passing game is producing explosive plays that many felt may be beyond Tagovailoa and the plethora of huge gains Miami made through the air in Detroit have him ending Week 8 as the most efficient quarterback in the NFL.

Tagovailoa leads the league in Expected Points Added per play, according to rbsdm.com, and in the composite metric of Expected Points Added and Completion Percentage Over Expectation (EPA + CPOE).

He is producing such efficiency while regularly pushing the ball downfield. Indeed, Tagovailoa is averaging 9.3 air yards per attempt. Only three qualifying quarterbacks have a higher average this season.

Operating in an offense that plays to his strengths as an intermediate passer but emboldened to attack deep by a play-caller in McDaniel who is doing an outstanding job of putting two frighteningly fast receivers in space, Tagovailoa is displaying excellent accuracy throwing to all three levels of the field and, given the ecosystem he has around him, there is little reason to believe that will not persist in the coming weeks.

There will understandably be doubts around a defense that allowed the Lions to average 6.9 yards per play and ranks 23rd in EPA per play.

But in an offense-driven league, the Dolphins have an attack that can keep them in any contest as they bid to win a playoff game for the first time since the 2000 season.

McDaniel deserves criticism for his handling of the Tagovailoa concussion saga, however, in terms of his on-field management of the quarterback he inherited, the Dolphins first-year head coach could hardly be doing a better job.