Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Wilton Jackson

Tua Tagovailoa Takes Responsibility For Brutal Miss, Late Fumble

Tua Tagovailoa pointed the finger at himself after two fourth quarter miscues resulted in a Dolphins’ 21-14 loss to the Chiefs in Frankfurt, Germany.

After a dormant offensive performance in the first half trailing 21-0, the Dolphins’ offense came to life in third quarter, scoring two touchdowns to cut the deficit to a one-score game entering the fourth quarter.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa drops back to pass against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first quarter during an NFL International Series game at Deutsche Bank Park.

Nathan Ray Seebeck / USA TODAY Sports

However, in Miami’s final chance to tie the game and possibly force overtime in Sunday's contest, Tagovailoa and Dolphins wide receiver Cedric Wilson appeared to have had some “miscommunication” as the Wilson ran a different route than Tagovailoa expected. Had Tagovailoa and Wilson been on the same page, Miami would have likely scored another touchdown.

“It was a miscommunication with Cedrick Wilson,” Tagovailoa said in the postgame news conference following the loss, per Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post.  “In big time moments those things can’t happen.”

Then, as Tagovailoa was seeking to redeem himself on fourth down, Dolphins center Connor Williams made a wild snap to the right that bounced off Tagovailoa’s hands for a fumble before Miami recovered it for the turnover on downs. Although it was not the best center-quarterback exchange, Tagovailoa said he has to better in that situation with the game on the line.

“I’m always going to blame myself,” Tagovailoa said, per Safid Deen of USA TODAY Sports. “I got to catch the ball. … Can’t end the game like that when we have an opportunity like that against a great team.”

Miami (6-3) notched its third loss against a team with a winning record this season. None of the Dolphins wins in the 2023 campaign have come against teams with winning records. 

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.