Tua Tagovailoa named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for September performance
MIAMI GARDENS — Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month by the NFL on Thursday for his performance on the field in September.
According to a press release from the Dolphins, Tagovailoa is the first franchise player to win the honor in 30 years, with the last being former quarterback Scott Mitchell in October 1993. Additionally, he is the third Dolphin to win the award, joining Mitchell and legendary quarterback Dan Marino, who received the award in November 1986 and October 1988.
Tagovailoa finished September completing 72 of 104 passes for 1,024 yards, eight touchdowns, two interceptions and a 121.9 passing rating. According to the Dolphins, he currently leads the NFL in passer rating and yards per attempt (10.1), which is a full two yards better than any other player in the league through Week 3.
Tagovailoa currently ranks second in the NFL and first in the AFC in passing yards and passing touchdowns. He's been sacked just once in three games, tied for best in the league.
Also, his total passing yards so far is the most in franchise history throughout the first three games of a season, while he yards per attempt are the fifth-most in the NFL in the past decade through a team's first three games, the Dolphins stated.
As Miami's signal-caller, Tagovailoa has led the Dolphins to a 3-0 start for the second consecutive season, something the franchise has not achieved since the 1994-1996 seasons.
The Dolphins offense has more points scored (130) and total yards (1,651) than any NFL team has accrued through the first three games of a season since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. He's also helped the team set franchise records for points (70) and total yards (726) in the team's Week 3 win against the Denver Broncos as Miami's 70 points were the most scored by any NFL team since 1966.
The Miami Dolphins have now had a Player of the Month Award in each of the past five seasons.
According to the team, linebacker Melvin Ingram was AFC Defensive Player of the Month in September 2022 and linebacker Jerome Baker also earned the honor in December 2021. Meanwhile, kicker Jason Sanders won three AFC Special Teams Player of the Month awards in October and November 2020, and in December 2019.
