Playoff Meltdown: 49ers Player Blasts Dolphins Quarterback
Playoff Meltdown: 49ers Player Blasts Dolphins Quarterback
The Miami Dolphins are having a difficult time coming up with an explanation following their horrible performance against the Kansas City Chiefs in the wildcard round.
Even if the playing conditions were undoubtedly some of the worst in NFL history.
The Dolphins, who entered the game with the greatest offense in the NFL, lost 26-7 because they were unable to establish any sort of rhythm against the Kansas City defense.
Tua Tagovailoa, the quarterback for Miami, was questioned about his long-term viability due to an absurd number of concussions; his playoff debut won’t help his case.
Dolphins quarterback chastised for subpar play
The club has been in a complete meltdown during the second part of the season, even though Tagovailoa could have done more against the Kansas City defense.
Miami, which began the season 9-3, dropped 2-3 over the final five games of the season before losing to Buffalo for the division title last weekend. Now having to play in the bitter cold of Kansas City on Sunday night.
It was evident that Tagovailoa had trouble finding his rhythm in the sub-zero temps as he concluded the game with 199 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
Following the game, wide receiver Willie Sneed IV of the San Francisco 49ers publicly chastised Tagovailoa on social media.
A spate of injuries has taken away most of Miami’s premier players from Tagovailoa’s defense, which has been a big problem.
Prodigious pass rusher Bradley Chubb, safety Jevon Holland, cornerback Xavien Howard,
linebackers Andrew Van Ginkel, Jerome Baker, and Jaelan Phillips were among the more than half of Miami’s defense that was not in action.
In addition to the numerous defensive stars who were left off the field, Tagovailoa and the other members of the squad had minor injuries when they arrived at the game.
All teams experience some level of injury,
but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team where the starting lineup as a whole has been as completely destroyed as Miami’s was during the final few weeks of the season.
Playing in the cold creates another serious vulnerability since there is no respite and being tackled on the frosted ground feels like being tackled on concrete.
Miami lacks depth at linebacker, as evidenced by the fact that linebacker Duke Riley was visibly hurt on a tackle in the first quarter yet was not substituted.
Even though Miami collapsed at the end of the season, Tagovailoa isn’t deserving of the degree of responsibility that Snead placed on him.
Miami is a very youthful club that will get better every season and is a strong favorite to play in the Super Bowl the following year.
After his injury-plagued 2022 season, it will be interesting to see if Miami extends Tagovailoa and, if so, how much money they give him.
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