By james art MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — With a healthy Tua Tagovailoa at the helm, the Miami Dolphins had the best offense in the NFL last season. After Tagoavailoa missed most of this year with a concussion, the Dolphins fell to the bottom of the league in goals scored.
Tagovailoa’s return on Sunday wasn’t enough to lead the Dolphins (2-5) to victory, but Miami’s offense was functional again in a 28-27 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
The 26-year-old quarterback completed 28 of 38 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown, and the Dolphins had their best game of the season.
“It feels good to be able to come back and play with my teammates, hopefully I can help in any way I can to get the spark going for us offensively.” Or get the mojo going for the whole team,” Tagovailoa said. “It was good today, but a tough loss against a really good team.”
Tagovailoa suffered his third known concussion when he climbed and collided with Buffalo linebacker Damar Hamlin on Sept. 12. He missed four games and the Dolphins went 1-3 while using three linebackers.
On Sunday, Tagovailoa was tested with another opportunity to gain positive yardage midway through the third quarter. This time, he opted for a slide that ended a 13-yard run rather than run into a defender. The play gave Miami a first down at the Arizona 9-yard line.
“I try to avoid the big shots if I can,” Tagovailoa said. “Sometimes they’re unavoidable if there’s a loose rusher and you’ve got to get the ball out and take a snap.”
The audience chanted his name after the play.
“I thought that was pretty cool,” Tagovailoa said. “I think anyone would think that’s great.”
Tagovailoa finished with a 12-yard touchdown pass to De’Von Achane that put Miami up 20-10.
During Tagovailoa’s absence, the Dolphins failed to score 20 points in a game. Star receivers Tyreek Hill and Jalen Waddle saw significant drops in their numbers with Miami using backup QBs Skylar Thompson, Tyler Huntley and Tim Boyle.
Hill and Waddle again became factors on Sunday. Hill finished with six catches for 72 yards and Waddle had four receptions for 45 yards. Hill’s 30-yard catch in the second quarter was his longest since he caught an 80-yard touchdown pass in the season-opening win over Jacksonville.
Tagovailoa “came back and started the attack,” Hill said. “It was a beautiful thing to watch.”
Still, the road to a third straight playoff berth will be dangerous for the Dolphins, who next face the AFC East-leading Bills.
“We’ve got to keep chopping wood, that’s what,” Tagovailoa said. “We are not looking for any external motivation. It’s on the inside. We will continue to believe in each other, lean on each other and believe in each other. And we will next week.”
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