Tagovailoa leads the NFL with 15 interceptions. He was previously yanked from the Dolphins’ Week 7 loss to the Cleveland Browns during a three-interception performance, 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 took two third-down sacks. Over that span, Miami earned five first downs and 93 total yards. In the third quarter, Miami’s offense generated -20 yards on two drives.
Tua looked lost for long stretches, struggling with pressure, missing receivers and playing ineffectively until the Steelers defense backed off with a big lead. On his interception, he didn’t read the corner — with no receiver holding him in the flat — dropping back to take the lane away.
It wasn’t a one-game issue for the sixth-year quarterback. During the Dolphins’ four-game win streak, his struggles were hidden by a dominant rushing attack. He had thrown for fewer than 175 yards in each game with three TDs and three INTs. With the ground game slowed, Tagovailoa’s issues had a glaring spotlight.
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 benched. Tua is due $54 million guaranteed in 2026.
Should McDaniel go through with the benching, the options are Zach Wilson, who served as the backup on Monday night, and seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers. Wilson, the former New York Jets first-round pick, has appeared in three games this season, going 6 of 9 passing for 32 yards. Ewers has made one appearance, going 5-of-8 passing for 53 yards.
