The 2023 Miami Dolphins season is about to hit the home stretch, and they are off to a fantastic 8-3 start. The AFC East title is in reach, and the question is WHEN they will clinch and not IF they will clinch.
This season has played out as well as any Dolphins fan could have expected. The team is generally healthy heading into December; Tua is in the MVP conversation, Tyreek Hill is on the verge of making history, Raheem Mostert is near the top of the leaderboard in the NFL for touchdowns, and there have been numerous surprises, like the quality of play from our offensive line.
With all that said, one narrative needs to be put to rest for the 2023 Dolphins to finish their story and go where we all want them to go.
No, not that narrative that Miami can’t beat good teams; to me, that is BS. I’m talking about the narrative: Can Tua Finally Have a Big December and Play Well Late in the Season?
December has not been kind to Tua since he entered the NFL. In the big late-season games, Tua has come up small.
Tua’s December numbers aren’t great (and by December, I am also including games that took place the first week of January because of how the NFL schedule now works). He has a 62% completion percentage, 15 TDs, and 10 INTs; in the games he has started for Miami, the team is only 6-5, and oh yeah, he was benched twice in games because of poor play.
Those numbers are down across the board compared to his career and lifetime stats.
I understand some of those years were when Brian Flores was the head coach, and Tua had about six offensive coordinators in a single season, but last year, he was with Mike McDaniel, and some of Tua’s worst games came in December.
Last season, Tua struggled vs. San Francisco and Los Angeles in early December, and then when the team went to Buffalo, while he didn’t have a bad game, he failed to make big plays late in the game to seal a victory. His completion percentage in those three games was 55%, 36%, and 57%.
Tua hasn’t had an easy go of it since entering the NFL. The Media and Dolphins fans have been tough on him. They have questioned his durability, his arm strength, commitment to his craft, and his toughness. People such as Ryan Clark of ESPN have mocked him for his look.
It seems like Tua has been the butt of a lot of jokes, and through it all, he keeps getting better, raising his play, and now is on the verge of leading his team to a division crown.
Tua has proved many doubters wrong this season, and for those out there saying Tua doesn’t show up in December, well, he has a golden opportunity to prove them wrong.
The schedule is favorable, with 3 out of 5 at home in December and playing bad teams like the Commanders, Titans, and Jets. Tua has no excuse or reason not to put up some flashy numbers this month. Yes, Dallas and Baltimore are tougher opponents, but everything is there for Tua to have a great month in December.
But more importantly than proving people wrong, for this team to make a run in the playoffs and play in and win multiple playoff games…Tua has to play well.
This team isn’t built to win in spite of poor quarterback play. Some teams are, but this team isn’t.
It is time for Tua to finally have a big December, shut up some of his critics, and take this organization to places it hasn’t been in some 30+ years.
