Tua Tracker: Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa throws for six touchdowns in 42-38 win over the Ravens

On Sunday, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa — and his #elite wide receivers, Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill — did something we’ve never seen before in the history of the National Football League.

Tua completed 36/50 (72%) for 469 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions. It was a performance that reminded you of the good ‘ole days, back when Dan Marino was finding Mark Clayton and Mark Duper for one big play after another.

But most importantly, Tua showed the world he had ice in his veins when he went toe-to-toe with the Ravens and QB Lamar Jackson, scoring 28 points in the fourth quarter and leading the Dolphins to their second-straight victory.

Tagovailoa showed a little bit of everything on Sunday, but his willingness to bounce back after a rocky start — and make some of the biggest plays of his career when it mattered most (3rd down) — was most impressive, in my opinion.

If you missed Sunday’s game or want to relive it, here’s every dropback (I think) from Tua’s career day.

I’m not going to go through and break down every throw, not in this article. Instead, I want to showcase Tagovailoa’s SIX Touchdown passes. But first, here’s what his passing chart looked like.

Now, let’s take a look at Tua Tagovailoa’s SIX touchdown passes vs. the Baltimore Ravens.

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Touchdown #1 - Jaylen Waddle - WR Screen

Personnel: 11 (1 RB, 3 WRs, 1 TE)

Analysis: The fake to Tyreek Hill in the backfield forces the defense to step out of position, leaving the Dolphins with more bodies at the top of the screen than the Ravens can defend. Tua gets the ball to Waddle, who then navigates his way into the end zone. Liam Eichenberg does an excellent job of getting in front of the play and putting an IHOP pancake on the small defensive back. Nice blocks by Armstead and Sherfield, as well.

Touchdown #2 - Mike Gesicki - Deep Post aka Alley Oop in the back of the Endzone

Personnel: 11 (1 RB, 3 WRs, 1 TE)

Analysis: Baltimore only brings two pass rushers leaving nine defenders in coverage. The Ravens are playing cover-3. Mike Gesicki runs a 15-yard post that only works because Tua Tagovailoa put the ball where ONLY his receiver can make the catch. Tyreek Hill’s presence in the middle of the end zone draws three defenders, including the DB playing the deep center. This allows Tagovailoa to put the ball in the perfect spot — and of course, a heck of a catch by Mike Gesicki.

Touchdown #3 - River Cracraft — Whip Route

Personnel: 11 (1 RB, 3 WRs, 1 TE)

Analysis: My favorite part about this play is that Tua Tagovailoa knows precisely where the pass rusher is and puts him through the spin cycle with a perfectly timed spin move. Cracraft is running a whip route at the bottom of the screen, but once he recognizes that Tagovailoa is scrambling to his left, he does everything to work his way back to QB1, finding a spot in the defense where only Tua can find him. Baltimore was playing man-coverage.

Touchdown #4 - Tyreek Hill - STREAK/GO/FLY

Personnel: 11 (1 RB, 3 WRs, 1 TE)

Analysis: It looks like Cover-3. Kyle Hamilton starts over on Tyreek’s side but works his way back to the middle of the field. Jaylen Waddle’s presence (on the deep in route) causes Hamilton to take one false step, and the rest is history. Excellent job by Miami’s offensive line to give Tua time, and despite what some might say was an “uNDErThRoWn bALl,” Tagovailoa puts this one right on the money. Great job by Tagovailoa pre-snap to know what the defense is throwing at him and adjusting accordingly to make that big-time throw.

Touchdown #5 - Tyreek Hill - STREAK/GO/FLY

Personnel: 11 (1 RB, 3 WRs, 1 TE)

Analysis: Baltimore tries to roll the coverage pre-snap, but Tagovailoa sniffs it out. Tua has Tyreek Hill in one-on-one coverage vs. Jayln Armor-Davis, Baltimore’s rookie defense back. JAD is caught flat-footed (he sees Chase Edmonds leaking out of the backfield, I think) and watches helplessly as The Cheetah blows past him — without any safety help. Tie game...

Touchdown #6 - Jaylen Waddle - Whip? Option? IDK, but it’s a game-winning touchdown!

Personnel: 11 (1 RB, 3 WRs, 1 TE)

Analysis: This looks like the route was designed to potentially get Tyreek Hill open on the quick in route, but the defender does a nice job of fighting through contact. Waddle appears to run a whip route (i think) — similar to Cracraft earlier — and with three defenders underneath trying to cover Trent Sherfield, Tagovailoa gets the match-up he desires. Tua steps up into the pocket and delivers a DOT to Jaylen Waddle. Game. Set. Match.

And now, in All-22 69K HD Blu-Ray DVD

TLDR: This was Tua Tagovailoa’s best performance of his three-year NFL career and one we will never forget. After all, no matter how bleak things looked (at times), Tua never gave up and found ways to make one big play after another — many of which came on third down. It was everything we dreamed of and more. Tua is HIM.

If you’re looking for a letter grade for Tua’s performance, the answer is quite simple; he gets an A+. Sure, the first half wasn’t ideal, but what he did in the second half was perfect.

This week, Tua faces arguably the toughest test of his career when Miami welcomes the Buffalo Bills to Hard Rock Stadium. Miami has only won one game vs. Buffalo over their last ten meetings — a 21-17 win back in 2018. Worst of all, the Dolphins have watched their season come to an end —in two consecutive years — at the hands of the Buffalo Bills. But as you can tell, things are a little different this year.

#InTuaWeTrust #LetTuaCook #FinsUp

What are your thoughts on Tua Tagovailoa’s six-touchdown performance vs. the Baltimore Ravens? What improvements must he make this week if Miami hopes to go toe-to-toe with the Buffalo Bills? Did Sunday’s win completely change how you feel about QB1? Let us know in the comments section below!