Tua Tagovailoa & The Dolphins Enter A Crucial Offseason After Loss To Mahomes & Chiefs

Since an uncharacteristic loss to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the wildcard round of the NFL playoffs on January 13, the Miami Dolphins have entered a crucial offseason.

Dolphins fans held high expectations for their team throughout the season.

QB Tua Tagovailoa led the number-one ranked offense in the league with help from some of the most dangerous offensive weapons, Tyreek Hill, Raheem Mostert, Jaylen Waddle and others. Collectively, the Dolphins finished the regular season first in total yards, (6.582) second in total points, (496) first in passing yards (4,514) and sixth in rushing yards (2,308). They were 17 points and 114 total yards away from setting new franchise records in each of those categories.

All of this offensive production led to many breakout plays and exciting high-scoring games throughout the season, but it only earned them the number six seed in the AFC after giving up the AFC East division title in a loss to the Buffalo Bills on the last game of the regular season. They were forced to go on the road and play the Kansas City Chiefs.

It wasn’t 75 degrees and sunny in Kansas City like it had been in Miami for many games in the season. In fact, it was dangerously cold. At kickoff, it was minus four degrees Fahrenheit and the windchill was minus 27 degrees Fahrenheit, making it one of the coldest games in NFL history. Multiple fans in the stadium were taken to the hospital after spending dangerous amounts of time in the cold.

Everyone knew the Dolphins were going to be playing in uncomfortable conditions, but not everyone expected their offense to underperform so significantly. They scored only one touchdown in the game, ending their season on a disappointing 26-7 loss.

The Dolphins are expected to return a similar team next year, hoping to maintain their offensive success in the offseason and improve their performances against above-average teams. In 2023, the  Dolphins went 10-1 against teams that did not end up making the playoffs, yet they were 1-5 against eventual playoff teams.

Tagovailoa set the bar high for quarterback play in Miami. Thankfully for the Dolphins, he has one more year left in his contract thanks to Miami picking up the fifth-year option, although no one can be sure about what will happen after that. It wouldn’t be accurate to put Tagovailoa on the same level as Mahomes or MVP favorite Lamar Jackson, but many people still believe that Tagovailoa can take the Dolphins further in the postseason.

Now they will have plenty of time to reflect, reevaluate and begin to prepare for Tagovailoa’s “prove-it” campaign in the 2024-25 season.

Article by Nathan Weick

USports writing intern and second year student-athlete at Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA pursuing BA in Professional Writing and BA in Spanish/Hispanic Cultures. Juniata College Mens Soccer Captain and former president of the Juniata College Class of 2026.