FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been an enigma for Bill Belichick in his matchups with the Patriots.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been an enigma for Bill Belichick in his matchups with the Patriots.
Tagovailoa’s made four starts against the future Hall of Fame coach. Four times he’s walked away with a victory.
That track record is also exactly why Tagovailoa is expecting the unexpected from Belichick’s defense heading into his fifth meeting with New England.
“Coach Belichick has been coaching in this league for way longer than I think I’ve been alive. So he knows exactly what he’s looking at when he coaches his guys,” Tagovailoa said.
“Nothing new under the sun for that guy. So we’ve got to come out, we’ve got to be prepared. We understand that that’s a physical team and they’re going to make us earn everything that we can.”
The Patriots did that in Week 1 against the defending NFC champion Eagles and quarterback Jalen Hurts, holding them to just one offensive touchdown in Philadelphia’s narrow win.
Containing Miami may be even harder. The Dolphins enter with the league’s top-ranked offense following a comeback win over the Los Angeles Chargers in which Miami had 536 yards. It was the most yards for a team in a Week 1 game since Baltimore had 643 yards in 2019.
Tagovailoa was a catalyst in the Dolphins’ production, passing for 466 yards and three touchdowns — including a late go-ahead TD pass to Tyreek Hill — in their 36-34 victory over the Chargers. The performance earned him AFC offensive player of the week honors.
Subscribe today for unlimited access.
Already a subscriber?
Login
Not ready to subscribe?
Register for limited access.
If you have a print subscription but require digital access,
activate your account.
