The Miami Dolphins kicked off their 2023 season with a thrilling 36-34 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. The game was the third matchup between Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert. It was also rematch of a Sunday Night Football victory for the Chargers last year in which Herbert handily outperformed Tua. The tables turned this time around. Here are five takeaways from Miami Dolphins win over Los Angeles Chargers.
Tua Got His Revenge
Tua and Herbert will forever be linked. In the 2020 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins famously took Tua with the fifth pick over Herbert who went to the Chargers one pick later. Herbert has had a stellar start to his career statistically, setting numerous records and winning Offensive Rookie of the Year. Tua has had a good career, when healthy, but hasn’t put up the same numbers as Herbert to this point. Last year Tua was in the MVP discussion prior to suffering multiple concussions. However, he had arguably his worst performance of the year vs the Chargers last season while Herbert lit up the Dolphins for 367 yards and 4 touchdowns. On Sunday, Tua had his turn. Tua threw for 466 yards and 3 touchdowns in the Dolphins victory. For at least one week, Tua silenced the critics who think Miami should’ve drafted Herbert instead.
Safe to say Tua's performance yesterday was an all-time great ? pic.twitter.com/UZHfBtxL9b
— NFL (@NFL) September 11, 2023
Tyreek Hill On Pace for 2,000+ yards
In the offseason, Tyreek Hill stated his goal was to break the NFL receiving yards record and record over 2,000 yards. Last year he had a career high with 1,710 yards and might have reached 2,000 if not for Tua’s concussions. On Sunday, Tyreek picked up where he left off last year and then some. Tyreek caught 11 passes for 215 yards and 2 touchdowns (including the game winner). The Tua to Tyreek connection has been electric since the start of last year. If Tua is able to reach his goal, and play every game this year, then Tyreek may just reach his goal of 2,000+ receiving yards.
TUA AND TYREEK ARE DIALED IN.
— NFL (@NFL) September 10, 2023
?: #MIAvsLAC on CBS
?: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/G4uoYVOqQn pic.twitter.com/XtaJZDwKhA
The Offensive Line Has Improved
It is no secret that the Dolphins have struggled to keep Tua upright the last few seasons. Miami has tried to remedy that and went out and signed Terron Armstead prior to last season. Armstead is a four-time Pro-Bowler and considered one of the top left tackles in football. However, he struggles to stay on the field himself, and last year missed four games. Armstead was out for this matchup, and yet the offensive line had a tremendous performance. Tua dropped back to pass 46 times and was not sacked once. The Dolphins had practically three new starters on the line for week one. Right Tackle Austin Jackson isn’t new to the team, but he only played in two games last year due to injury. Left Guard Isaiah Wynn came over from the Patriots and is an upgrade over last year’s primary starter Liam Eichenberg. Kendal Lamm is a backup but was tasked with filling in for Armstead yesterday and held his own. The offensive line isn’t perfect, but they were able to protect Tua all game and kept Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack away.
Miami Couldn’t Stop the Run
Miami went out and signed Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio to improve a much-maligned unit. The good news is that Justin Herbert didn’t have 300+ passing yards again this time around. The bad news is that Herbert wasn’t tasked with throwing the ball a lot because the Chargers ran all over the Dolphins defense. The Chargers ran for 234 yards and 2 touchdowns. Austin Ekeler ran for 117 yards on 16 attempts, good for 7.3 yards per attempt. Joshua Kelley ran for 91 yards on 16 attempts, good for 5.7 yards per attempt. Fangio dared the Chargers to run the ball, and that’s exactly what they did. If Miami is going to meet their goals and expectations for this year, the run defense needs to improve drastically.
Austin Ekeler goes 55 yards!
— NFL (@NFL) September 10, 2023
?: #MIAvsLAC on CBS
?: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/G4uoYVOqQn pic.twitter.com/3qTEb0TheE
Playoff Implications
Both the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers were Wild Card teams last year. They both lost in the first round of the playoffs. There are high expectations for both teams, and this matchup could go a long way in determining playoff seeding. Last year, the Chargers had the top Wild Card spot thanks to their win over the Dolphins earlier in the season. This year the Dolphins now have the head-to-head victory over the Chargers that could go a long way in determining who makes the playoffs and final seeding.
Featured Image Credit: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
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