Tagovailoa leads the NFL with 15 interceptions. He previously fumbled in the Dolphins’ Week 7 loss to the Cleveland Browns while facing three interceptions, but remained the starter.
On Monday night, Tagovailoa’s stat line read: 22 of 28 passing for 253 yards with two touchdowns and an INT. Those numbers are far from the real story. The QB struggled for three quarters, padding his stats with three garbage-time drives when the outcome was already decided.
Through the first three quarters, Tagovailoa completed 6 of 10 passes for 65 yards with an interception and two third down sacks. This season, Miami gained five first downs and 93 total yards. In the third quarter, Miami’s offense returned -20 yards on two drives.
Tua looked lost for long stretches, struggling with pressure, missing receivers and making ineffective plays until the Steelers defense backed away with a big lead. When stopped, he didn’t read the corner – with no receiver keeping him on the flat – falling back to take the lane away.
It wasn’t a one-game affair for the sixth-year quarterback. During the Dolphins’ four-game winning streak, his struggles were masked by a dominant rushing attack. He had thrown for less than 175 yards per game with three TDs and three INTs. As the ground game slowed down, Tagovailoa’s eye problems became apparent.
The Dolphins handed Tagovailoa a four-year, $212.4 million contract in the summer of 2024, putting him under contract through 2028. Now he could be on the bench. Tua is due $54 million in insurance in 2026.
If McDaniel goes through the bench, the options are Monday night backup Zach Wilson and seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers. Wilson, a former first-round pick of the New York Jets, has appeared in three games this season, completing 6-of-9 passes for 32 yards. Ewers has played in one game, completing 5 of 8 passes for 53 yards.