Why Tua's Performance vs. Commanders Showed Exactly Who He Is
The Miami Dolphins won an ugly game, 16-13, against the Washington Commanders Sunday morning. Miami’s offense moved the ball throughout the game, but it only got 141 yards from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Tua attempted just 20 passes in the team’s Week 11 win. That is the fewest attempts of Tua’s career in a game he both started and finished that resulted in a Dolphins win since he attempted 18 passes in September of 2022 against the Buffalo Bills.
The Dolphins QB completed 14 of his 20 passes against the Commanders, and his performance was a perfect encapsulation of who he is and who he is not at this point in his career.
Positives of Tua’s Performance vs. Commanders
Tua’s accuracy in the short area of the field continues to be a selling point. His timing in the short middle is also incredibly impressive.
This stood out when he hit Jaylen Waddle on an in-breaking route for a 31-yard gain in the third quarter. Tua’s throw hit Waddle right in the hands, and most importantly, led him across the field.
The placement of the throw allowed Waddle to make safety Quan Martin miss and break deeper into Commanders’ territory. Tua’s anticipation is still quite good, especially when he sees a clear picture after the snap.
Tua has mostly operated within 20 yards of the line of scrimmage this season.
He gets through his progressions quickly and is more than willing to take checkdowns. This was actually an issue for him in previous seasons, but he’s more than willing to trust his playmakers in space these days.
Here’s a look at his NextGen Stats passing chart from Week 11.
Tua does a good job keeping the Dolphins’ offense on schedule this season, and when he’s on time with his receivers, he’s still more than capable of setting up YAC chances.
Negatives of Tua’s Performance vs. Commanders
Tua was efficient and kept the ball out of the defense’s hands (sorta, we’ll get to that) in Week 11. That’s the winning formula for this version of the Dolphins, but it also speaks to Tua’s limitations.
Tua has never been a mobile player, but he’s looked even less so this season. He took two sacks in the first in Week 11, where it was incredibly clear that Tua just doesn’t have the playmaking juice to extend plays.
He tried to spin out of one sack, and he didn’t even come close.
Not an OL sack, again.
Ingold misses the chip/block. I think it was only 3rd & 2. Would have liked to see Tua just dump it to Ingold here & see if he can make it rather than trying to evade a free rusher.https://t.co/QCFvfQqu02 pic.twitter.com/nkHh2hmlOt — eric smith (@OLCoachSmith63) November 16, 2025
To be clear, this sack is also the fault of Alec Ingold. He’s supposed to pick up that free rusher or run a quick release route to the flat. He does neither of those things, resulting in a free run.
However, teammates make mistakes all the time, and Tua just isn’t the quarterback to cover up for these types of mistakes.
This game also featured what should’ve been another deep ball interception. Tua threw up a prayer to Waddle in the third quarter that should’ve been intercepted, but Mike Sainristil dropped it.
It would’ve been Tua’s 14th INT of the season, and more than a few of those have come on deep passes. Miami seems to have emboldened Tua to just toss up a few deep balls per game.
Tua threw two similar balls against the Bills, and they were basically arm punts on third and long. Those types of plays are probably fine, but it’s also fair to point out that one reason Miami has regressed to this version of deep ball passing is that Tua’s arm talent limits how Miami can hit those concepts.
Teams aren’t giving the Dolphins any man coverage anymore, like in 2022 and 2023. It’s all zone with two-high safeties and middle-of-the-field robbers. To hit deep balls against those looks, you need a QB with supreme arm talent and mobility.
That’s just not Tua.
What Does This Mean for Dolphins?
This might seem like a negative take after the Dolphins won, but it’s not meant to be that. It’s more so pointing out that everything you saw from Tua in Week 11 is just a microcosm of the quarterback he is now.
He’s no longer the player who was tearing up defenses in 2022 and 2023. He just doesn’t have the tools to create and push the ball down the field if defenses stay disciplined.
That said, if Tua can cut down on the turnovers, he’s the right type of QB for this version of the Dolphins. Miami has been at its best this season when running the ball.
The offensive line is better at run blocking, and De’Von Achane is a star who is more than capable of carrying the offense. The Dolphins don’t need Tua to be a dynamic presence right now — he needs to manage the game like he did against Washington.
Now, if you want to look to the future, that’s a whole different story. Miami’s passing game is incredibly limited right now, and that isn’t sustainable long-term.
For now, though, Tua showed his strengths and weaknesses against Washington. It’s up to the Dolphins to ensure those strengths outweigh the weaknesses the rest of the way.
Three players that will decided the Heat's fate on Monday night
The Miami Heat are playing the same team in back to back games yet again, but unlike last time the Heat are coming off a loss in the first contest. Some players need to change from the first game, and others need to stay the same for the Heat to come away with the victory. Let’s take a look at these players and evaluate how they did in the first matchup and what needs to change in the second.
Norman Powell – Grade: A+
Norman Powell was sensation and was a large part of the reason the Heat stayed in the game on Friday night for so long. His offense was perfect, and he showed all night why he so important to the team. The Heat might be the highest scoring team in the league, but their offensive rating is only middle of the pack. The offensive rating shows that the Heat, though greatly improved, have not completely fixed their offense. This is where a guy like Powell helps keep the team afloat. He was scoring whenever he wanted on all parts of the court. The defense had literally no answer for him as he went off for 38 points on an efficient night of 12/22 shooting and 8/15 from three.
The pressure he puts on the defense helps the four other players on the court to get easier looks and find their rhythm better as well. For the Heat to be competitive again, Powell has to be lights out on Monday night.
Kel’el Ware – Grade: C+
Kel’el Ware might be the Heat’s biggest X factor this year. If he takes a leap, and plays at that level consistently, then the Heat as a whole take a leap in the Eastern Conference standings. Ware continues to show his talent and has made strides in correcting some of his flaws this year, but a couple still remain, and it pains the Heat consistently. The biggest issue for the Heat recently is the inability to get defensive rebounds. As the main rebounder on the team, a lot of that falls on Ware.
Now I want to be clear, this is by no means all his fault, almost everyone on the team contributes to this issue. I am putting this on Ware because I think he has the best ability to fix this, at least until Bam Adebayo returns from injury. The Knicks have excellent rebounders all around their roster, the Heat have to be willing to box out on every shot. That simply did not happen on Friday night and the Heat were punished greatly, evidence by letting up 8 offensive rebounds to Mitchell Robinson. This can not continue, not even a little bit.
Nikola Jovic – Grade: C-
Jovic’s box score looks decent when considering he only played 13 minutes, but then you have to ask why he only played 13 minutes. That answer is because sometimes the box score can be misleading if you remove some stats, like his 5 fouls and then it also does describe how he actually played. Jovic has been the biggest let down this year for the Heat and without Adebayo or Tyler Herro, his disappointing play has been highlighted even more.
It is no secret the Heat do not have the biggest team. Because of this they need every forward to play well. Jovic simply has not consistently, and it is hurting the team. Like I mentioned under Ware, the team’s rebounding has been lackluster at best, Jovic can help to fix this problem also. On Friday night he pulled down 4 rebounds in his 13 minutes, which shows how he can be useful. His offensive potential could also be a huge boost to the team, but he needs to be more consistent in his output to be trusted. Jovic elevating his play can unlock a lot for the Miami Heat, and they will need that if they want to win on Monday night.
