MIAMI GARDENS — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is fighting a turnover problem early in the 2025 season.
He started the year with a three-turnover performance, throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble in last Sunday’s season-opening loss to the Indianapolis Colts. The turnovers led to 17 Colts points in the 33-8 Dolphins defeat.
As Tagovailoa turns his focus over to this coming Sunday’s home opener against the New England Patriots, he must keep the football from getting into the opponent’s hands to give his team a shot at a bounce-back effort.
The sixth-year passer will try not to make more of it than needs to be made in preparation for the Patriots, but Tagovailoa goes in with more hyperfocused on correcting specifically what went wrong on the turnovers.
“I think it’s more so reasons as to why it happens,” Tagovailoa said. “You look at the play for what it is. You look at the timing of it. Is that the right timing? Was I playing in the right timing of that play or not? There’s a lot of them where I should have progressed but didn’t.”
First, Tagovailoa threw high to wide receiver Tyreek Hill on the opening drive in the opener to get intercepted by safety Camryn Bynum.
Later, he fumbled on a strip-sack as nickel cornerback Kenny Moore came free on a blitz on Tagovailoa that was recovered by former teammate Xavien Howard, now a Colts cornerback. Running back De’Von Achane, on Wednesday, took blame for that sack, not picking up the blitz off a play fake.
To start the second half, Tagovailoa didn’t get a pass over defensive end Laiatu Latu, who dropped back into coverage instead of pressuring him on the pass rush.
Tagovailoa said the issues that occurred were “correctable more often than not.”
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Tagovailoa has had seven three-turnover games since entering the league in 2020. That’s second-most to Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The outing against the Colts marked his 13th multi-interception game.
“We need to have less of those with absolute certainty,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. “I think one of the top indicators of success or failure in this league is turnover differential, and if you’re minus-3, you’re probably not going to win.”
In addition to the three turnovers, Tagovailoa threw a pass that was nearly intercepted but fullback Alec Ingold broke up from getting to a Colts defender. He also took a blind-side hit on a sack where he could’ve easily had the football dislodged.
“I think I saw quarterback play that was less than to be desired,” McDaniel said, “which Tua absolutely knows, but he’s the captain and the franchise quarterback and everybody kind of fell victim to something similar.”
The turnovers drew what seemed to be a parting shot from Howard a day after the game. Monday, Howard said of his former teammate: “He gets the ball out pretty quick, and once we take away his first read, I feel like it’s panic mode after that. And it showed (Sunday).”
Tagovailoa responded to the longtime Dolphins cornerback’s comments Wednesday.
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“I got to talk to him after the game, still got a lot of respect for him,” Tagovailoa said.
“I think, if you look at the games where I have performed and done well, that’s where I’m also getting off of my first read and progressing, getting through my progressions.”
Tagovailoa has another challenge in front of him, with how protection could be lacking from his blind side with starting right guard James Daniels now on injured reserve and right tackle Austin Jackson unlikely to play against the Patriots.
“That’ll be tough, but this isn’t an instance where this is the first time it’s happened for us,” Tagovailoa said. “We got to trust that he knows what he’s doing or he knows what he has to do in a certain protection or run-game scheme. So I trust the guys that are going to be in there.”
The Dolphins figure to stick with Larry Borom at right tackle for Jackson and Kion Smith at guard for Daniels.
With elite Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez not ready to return this week through his hamstring injury, Tagovailoa said it could help Miami create mismatches with wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle on the outside.
While Tagovailoa had success against Bill Belichick-coached Patriots teams and last year against Jerod Mayo, he’s 0-2 against new Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, who previously led the Tennessee Titans.
