Plenty rests on the shoulders of Tua Tagovailoa as Dolphins go for first playoff win since 2000
It has been more than 23 years since the Miami Dolphins won a playoff game.
Tua Tagovailoa gets a chance to stop that drought on Saturday night.
The fourth-year quarterback makes his first postseason appearance when Miami visits the Kansas City Chiefs for a wild-card game this weekend. The Dolphins are seeking their first playoff victory since Dec. 30, 2000, when they beat Indianapolis 23-17 in overtime. The franchise has just three road playoff wins and only one (at Seattle on Jan 9, 2000) since 1972.
Tagovailoa has played in high-stakes games before. He was a freshman at Alabama when he replaced then-starter Jalen Hurts during the 2018 national championship game and led the Crimson Tide past Georgia for the school's fifth national title under Nick Saban.
The 25-year-old Tagovailoa has spoken about how those experiences helped shape his path to the NFL, but he couldn't quite find the words to describe the emotions of competing in his first playoff game.
"I don't think I could compare this to anything," Tagovailoa said Wednesday. "It's all new. Everything is all new. This is a different feeling than it was in the national championship game. Different feeling than it was in the SEC championship game. I think they all come with new feelings. The way I cope with it is go about my business the way I've been going about my business. Take care of my job and trust that my teammates will do the same."
Tagovailoa added that he hasn't had a chance to sit down and reflect on his areas of growth this season — one that he finished as the NFL's leading passer with a career-high 4,624 yards — but probably one of the biggest differences is his health.
He started every regular-season game this year for the first time after dealing with various injuries since entering the NFL. He missed Miami's playoff game last year, a loss to Buffalo in a wild-card game, after being diagnosed with his second concussion of the season.
"It's a blessing that I get to play the entire season," Tagovailoa said. "I think anyone would say the same around the league that it's a blessing to make it this far. ... I don't take this for granted."
Now he has a chance to add a playoff win to his list of accomplishments ahead of a potentially lucrative offseason. The Dolphins exercised the fifth-year option on his rookie deal last March, but the sides are expected to discuss the possibility of a contract extension after this season.
Tagovailoa was Miami's first quarterback to lead the league in passing since Dan Marino in 1992. His 69.3% completion rate was the best in a single season in franchise history. And he was selected to his first Pro Bowl after guiding Miami's No. 1 passing offense.
He also has made some critical mistakes in some of Miami's biggest games, including a total of four interceptions in consecutive losses to playoff teams Baltimore and Buffalo to close the season.
The Dolphins were 1-5 against playoff opponents this season, and Tagovailoa had a 65.1% completion rate, seven touchdowns and six interceptions against those teams. He completed 72.9% of his passes against Miami's 11 non-playoff foes.
Tagovailoa was intercepted on the Dolphins' final drive against Buffalo, which effectively sealed the loss.
"Every game is different. It's a constant development," Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. "One thing I do know is as much, if not more, than any player I've been around, this guy has, in front of our very eyes, learned and continued to grow, and no situation regardless of how much weight is on his shoulders or how much noise is out there, he continues to find a way to improve."