LA Chargers: Getting to know Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins
By Devon Auriemma
LA Chargers vs. Miami Dolphins prediction
Coming into this season, there was a lot of excitement around this game because of the potential first Herbert and Tua matchup. After both quarterbacks took over as their team’s starter earlier than most expected, this matchup will actually take place. Justin Herbert has been the frontrunner for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, while Tua is coming off of a solid outing against the Cardinals in his second start.
Both of these teams were picking inside the top 10 last season and it seems they both found their new franchise quarterback. The Dolphins defense has been great as they have one of the league’s top turnover differentials, have 20 sacks on the season and are allowing a passer rating of 87.9.
Herbert and the Chargers offense continues to get better as they have put up at least 26 points in their last five games. They currently have the second-most total yards per game (420 yards) but rank in the middle of the league in points per game (25.6).
The Chargers defense has been very inconsistent this season. They have looked great against teams like the Saints, Chiefs and Buccaneers for the first half. However, in the second half, they completely collapsed. It’s hard to tell which Chargers defense will show up but this is a matchup that can put them back on track.
While Tua has gotten off to a good start to his career with back to back wins, the Dolphins offense hasn’t been anything crazy since he took over. In his two starts, Tua has only thrown for 341 yards and three touchdowns, but to be fair, the Dolphins defense dismantled the Rams in Week 8 and they didn’t need Tua to throw the ball a ton.
Last week against the Cardinals, their offense put up 27 points but only had 312 total yards of offense and gave up three sacks. The Dolphins can put points on the board and Jason Sanders has been automatic this year, but without Miles Gaskin and Preston Williams, the Dolphins may struggle to move the ball on offense.
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In the first meeting between Herbert and Tua, the Chargers get the slight edge. While the Chargers defense has struggled, their offense has been lights out. Tua played well against the Cardinals but the team’s success comes from their defense. If Herbert and the offense can take care of the ball, they should pick up their third win of the year.