The Miami Dolphins have not done much to dispel the notion that they can’t beat good teams as they lost overseas to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9.
The Dolphins’ offense failed to find itself against the Chiefs’ vaunted defense as they only mustered 14 points on the day.
Tua Tagovailoa couldn’t hit on most of the throws that fans have become accustomed to as he completed just 21 of his 34 pass attempts for 193 yards and one touchdown.
The Miami quarterback thrives when the conditions are good, but under pressure, he’s not as creative as some of his peers.
When reviewing the film, it appears that Tagovailoa was forced to hold onto the ball longer than usual as well as faced more pressure in the pocket than usual via Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network.
Chiefs forced Tua Tagovailoa to hold on to the ball for 2.5+ seconds on 16 of 34 pass attempts, his highest share in a game this season per @NextGenStats.
KC pressured Tua on a season-high 29% of his snaps. Timing such a key part of Dolphins offense & KC disrupted it.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) November 6, 2023
Kansas City’s secondary did an excellent job blanketing the Miami receivers in coverage, while their defensive line was able to get Tagovailoa moving around and having to adjust on the fly.
The Chiefs have been one of the best defensive units this season, and they showed how a team can slow down the Dolphins.
Tagovailoa is still a solid signal caller, but Mike McDaniel might need to go back to the drawing board when he’s under duress.
Miami will have better showings than they did against Kansas City, but the question remains as to whether or not they’re truly built for the playoffs.
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