What do Next Gen Stats say about Tua Tagovailoa's Week 10 play?
The buzz surrounding the Dolphins and Chargers clash in Week 10 was centered nearly exclusively around the first of many presumed duels between rookie quarterbacks from the top of the 2020 NFL Draf…
dolphinswire.usatoday.com
He didn’t post the best numbers of his career — but he’s clearly gaining a better command of Miami’s offense. He was vocal before the snap, identifying defenders and communicating with his skill players from behind center. And then there were the plays under duress, such as when he spun out of a potential sack from Jerry Tillery just before halftime and unleashed a throw to his right that just barely missed WR Jakeem Grant for what would have been a touchdown to move Miami’s lead to 21-7 at the half. Miami would settle for a field goal there, but Tagovailoa’s elusiveness was key to keeping Miami in field goal range. And there was the errant snap that Tagovailoa corralled and lofted up to DeVante Parker off-schedule for a beautifully placed jump ball that Parker won for 23 yards.
Most impressive of all? Looking at NFL’s Next Gen Stats on Tagovailoa’s play. With tonight’s Monday Night Football game left pending, the Dolphins rookie logged the second highest average air yards per completion (8.2 yards) in the entire NFL in Week 10 and his 11.3 average intended air yards per attempt was the highest in the NFL for the week. Miami may not have put much on his plate, but Tagovailoa showed a willingness to push the gas pedal down with the opportunities he did get.
