Last season, the Miami Dolphins were a favorite to win against the Los Angeles Chargers in Los Angeles. However, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had his worst game of the season against the Chargers, and the Dolphins lost 23-17. Tagovailoa unusually completed only 36% of his passes, threw for only 145 yards, and one touchdown. The Dolphins had just been beaten a week earlier on the road against the San Francisco 49ers. Coming off a defeat in San Francisco, the Dolphins only had a week to prepare for the road game against the Chargers.
But things are different this season. The odds are in Tagovailoa’s favor as to not have the worst game of his career against the same team two years in a row. That is highly unlikely. Tagovailoa is a quarterback known for accuracy, and a completion percentage as poor as 36% was an anomaly.
The Dolphins’ loss to the Chargers was the second loss in a five-game losing streak. That game was the second road game in California that began a three-game road trip. This year, since the Dolphins have the Chargers in the first game of the season in Los Angeles, there will be no tired players lagging from being defeated in a previous game.
Most of the Dolphins players are also in Coach Mike McDaniel’s second year of his offensive scheme. Many of the players have already talked about how the playbook has been easier for them this off-season because it is one that they are already familiar with.
Another factor is that the defensive scheme will be much different than it was in 2022. The defensive scheme wasn’t that good for some fans and sports analysts. Former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman was critical of the Dolphins’ former defensive coordinator Josh Boyer’s defensive scheme last season. However, the Dolphins have a new defensive coordinator in Vic Fangio, who many describe as a defensive genius. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has praised Fangio’s scheme during practice and training camp this off-season.
Moreover, Mike McDaniel has said he will try to be more committed to the run this season. Last season, the Dolphins only had 16 called runs against the Chargers. In the seven games that the Chargers lost last season, there were an average of 32 rushing attempts during those games. If the Dolphins can balance the run game and the passing game against the Chargers, then the game should be a much different outcome than last season’s matchup.
