Earlier Thursday, 25-year-old Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovalioa became the first Dolphins player to win the AFC Offensive Player of the Month award since Scott Mitchell did so back in 1993.
Tua - the NFL's best quarterback, per Brandon Marshall - is first Dolphin to win AFC offensive player of month since Scott Mitchell won it in November 1993. Marino won it twice.
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) September 28, 2023
To say that Tua Tagovailoa's play in September was great would be a disservice and an understatement to a quarterback who led his team to 70 points, just three points short of breaking the all-time single game scoring record just last Sunday against the Denver Broncos. Tagovailoa's play has been next-level.
Over the first three weeks of the NFL season, Tagovailoa simply put up video game numbers. His resume includes the following: 1,024 passing yards, eight passing touchdowns, two interceptions and (for good measure) a perfect 3-0 record.
Aside from this, Tagovailoa's 1,024 yards are the second-most in the NFL, behind just Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins (1,075). Elsewhere, his 82.9 QBR and 121.9 RTG are both league-leading, while his completion rate is fifth in the NFL.
While the season is still relatively new, none of this seems to be a fluke. In fact, weirdly enough, his completion rate, number of touchdowns and win percentage through the first three games exactly mirror last season's.
Fun Fact: Tua Tagovailoa has an IDENTICAL stat line through the first 3 games of '22 AND '23.
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) September 28, 2023
(via @NFLResearch)
2022:
3-0
72/101
8 TD
2 INT
2023:
3-0
72/101
8 TD
2 INT
While we were never really able to see the full ebbs and flows of Tagovailoa last year due to injuries and concussions, he has only been sacked once this year, credit to a much-improved offensive line.
With the speed that his positional players possess such as running backs Raheem Mostert, De'von Achane, and speedy receiver Tyreek Hill, Tagovalioa's play will only go up.This isn't sure to be the last AFC Offensive Player of the Month award Tagovalioa wins this year.
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