After all of the changes that have taken place in Miami Gardens this offseason, looking back to last year is hard to do.
The seven-game winning streak to keep the Dolphins’ playoff hopes alive late in the season was fun, but the constant struggle of watching the seven-game losing streak right before was tough.
Many fans would probably like to have that season out of their head, especially with all of the fun, new players that the team is heading into 2022 with, but there may have been some positive things to talk about that haven’t been discussed enough.
NFL analyst Warren Sharp brought one of those topics to light on Thursday, as he referenced Tua Tagovailoa’s success in the red zone. He gave us a list of the league’s top-10 red zone quarterbacks based on success rate, and Tagovailoa’s position on the list might be surprising to some.
top-10 red zone QBs in 2021*
1. Tua Tagovailoa
2. Josh Allen
3. Jalen Hurts
4. Lamar Jackson (tie)
4. Tom Brady
6. Ryan Tannehill
7. Jimmy Garoppolo
8. Kirk Cousins
9. Aaron Rodgers
10. Teddy Bridgewater*based on success rate (EPA>0), min 50 att
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) May 5, 2022
With the injuries and inconsistencies in Miami’s offense in 2021, Tagovailoa was pretty successful when they were in close. In the red zone, he had the league’s best completion percentage (65.4%), third-best touchdown percentage (28.8%), second-lowest sack percentage (1.8%) and sixth-best passer rating (101.3).
Typically, those numbers would lead to some pretty great seasons, but, at the very best, Tagovailoa’s season was considered average. If he can replicate those numbers with the playmakers that he has around him in 2022, the Dolphins should be set up for a better result.
