Pressure Point: Dolphins keep hopes alive despite Tagovailoa’s baffling decline

The Miami Dolphins may wear aqua-and-orange, but they are fool’s gold to their fans.

Here they go again making a show of late-season contention. They’ve won three in a row and four of their past five to reach the fringe of the wild-card race.

The network keeps showing them in the graphic of playoff hopefuls, and I can’t help but laugh.

Did that look like a playoff team that had everyone biting fingernails to the quick in fending off (barely) a young, rebuilding 2-9 Saints team 21-17 Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium?
Not when the quarterback is your biggest liability.

The regression of Tua Tagovailoa has been nothing short of baffling, and he’s gotten worse as the season has progressed. This latest head-scratching performance was up there among his most inept.

Tua Tagovailoa is picked off…

His 14th INT of the season.

That was an AWFUL throw 😬pic.twitter.com/TXZoUNAJi0

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 30, 2025

Tagovailoa outplayed by Saints rookie

That was underscored late in the fourth quarter when Fox color analyst Mark Schlereth suggested the Dolphins completely remove all passing plays from the offense and just hand the ball to De’Von Achane for the remainder of the game.

He wasn’t being facetious. His point was well founded.

Tagovailoa not only threw his league-leading 14th interception of the season, he was off target nearly all day.

There was a crisp throw to Jaylen Waddle on a crossing pattern for a 22-yard gain and a strike down the middle to tight end Greg Dulcich for 21 yards. That was about it for well-thrown balls.

The key to success for the Dolphins this season was supposed to be Tagovailoa staying healthy. He’s done that, making every start, and it’s been to their detriment.

Sunday he was outplayed by Saints rookie Tyler Shough, and it wasn’t particularly close. Shough, making his fourth career start, is a work in progress, but he showed athleticism that Tagovailoa doesn’t possess and threw two second-half touchdown passes in rallying the Saints from a 19-0 deficit to within a two-point conversion in the final minutes.

ACHANE 🫨🫨🫨🫨

pic.twitter.com/1DqN3Hljl4

— Five Reasons Sports 🏀🏈⚾️🏒⚽️ (@5ReasonsSports) November 30, 2025

Tagovailoa loses his accurate touch

In years past, Tua’s ability to throw accurately helped offset his shortcomings of middling arm strength and mediocre mobility.

This season, he’s lost his touch, and that was evident throughout Sunday’s game. He started by overthrowing Cedrick Wilson Jr., who had a step advantage on a deep route. Then he botched a short toss on an inside screen near the Saints’ goal to Achane, who could have waltzed into the endzone. Instead the Dolphins had to settle for one of four Riley Patterson field goals.

In the second half Tua threw behind Julian Hill on a third-down play when the Dolphins were trying to answer the first Saints touchdown. Later, he floated a pass in the endzone to Darren Waller, who ran out of room.

It wasn’t merely that his passes were off the mark, so was his judgment. Most glaring was the long pass into double coverage for Waddle that was intercepted. He overlooked Achane who was open.

Tagovailoa finished the day 12 of 23 for 157 yards, with a paltry passer rating of 55.9.

Tua Tagovailoa on overshooting Darren Waller in the back of the endzone:

"Wish I had that one back"

On Waddle's quiet day:

"I think they took him away. Had a conversation with (Brandon) Staley after the game about that."

On his pick:

"Just a bad decision."#PhinsUp pic.twitter.com/f1J2PwQu0r

— The List – Dolphins Podcast (@TheListFinsPod) November 30, 2025

Tua’s subpar stats don’t lie

He was sacked four times, which often happens when his first read is covered and protection breaks down. Shough, like almost every quarterback the Dolphins face, has the ability to scramble out of trouble and make a play. Tagovailoa, lacking elusiveness, tends to panic and take drive-killing sacks.

Schlereth wasn’t the only viewer preferring to see the ball in the hands of Achane, who rushed for 134 yards against the Saints to become the 11th Dolphins back to surpass 1,000 yards in a season, the first since Jay Ajayi in 2016.

Achane scooted 29 yards around the right side to cap an impressive opening touchdown drive. Tagovailoa’s subpar play, particularly in the red zone, had a lot to do with the Dolphins settling for field goals the rest of the day.

“Definitely starts with me, with my performance, with how I distribute the ball,” Tagovailoa said in his postgame interview.

Tagovailoa is currently 23rd in the NFL in passer rating, but first in interceptions. The Dolphins needed a lot more from their $53.1 million (per year) quarterback in a make-or-break season for the Mike McDaniel regime.

McDaniel didn’t exactly bestow a vote of confidence on Tua when he had him let the clock run down to end the first half with a field goal rather than take a shot at the end zone.

🎥 Tua Tagovailoa on today's offensive performance: "Definitely starts with me, starts with my performance with how I distribute the ball… I want to give our defense a lot of praise, also want to give a big shoutout to De'Von." (@MiamiDolphins) #PhinsUp pic.twitter.com/JW1osLRoqw

— FinsXtra (@FinsXtra) November 30, 2025

Are Dolphins setting up another late-season flop?

Nonetheless, this midseason surge following a dreadful opening month has lifted the 5-7 Dolphins to the edge of hope.

It’s a familiar Build Me Up Buttercup scenario that has led to too many final month letdowns by this franchise.

Are you going to fall for the fool’s gold again, Dolfans?

The Dolphins travel next Sunday to face the 3-9 Jets, fresh off a walk-off field goal win over the Falcons. Then they’re on the road again at the Steelers, home against the Bengals and Buccaneers, and finish at the Patriots.

It’s not totally implausible, when you have one of the league’s premier offensive performers in Achane. Blocking up front has improved, right tackle Austin Jackson added to that in his first game off injured reserve. Waller’s return adds another weapon with game-changing ability.

Meanwhile, Anthony Weaver’ defense, led by Jordyn Brooks playing at an All-Pro level, has elevated its play. Against the Saints, the defense had four sacks, a fumble recovery and an interception by Rasul Douglas, plus Minkah Fitzpatrick’s pick and 98-yard return for two points on the Saints’ last conversion attempt.

The main stumbling block is at quarterback. Unless Tagovailoa dramatically reverses course and elevates his play over the remaining five games, this team isn’t going anywhere.

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for more than four decades. Follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @CraigDavisRuns.