The Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers gave us a late Sunday afternoon thriller and lived up to the hype of being game of the week that most people couldn’t watch.
Miami shut out the Chargers 36-34 as their defense stepped up to secure a road victory. But Tua Tagovailoa was the story of this game. He surpassed Justin Herbert on this day and proved to many (like me) that the Dolphins were justified in selecting him in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Tua and Tyreek Hill staked their claim as the best quarterback-wide receiver duo in the league in Week 1. They picked up where they left off last season before Tagovailoa’s injuries: a 466 yards day through the air for Tua with three touchdown passes, two of which were to Hill, who also had 215 yards receiving.
It’s only the first game of the year, but many analysts will likely be on the rankings Tagovailoa to the league’s best QBs moving forward. This match was a back and forth battle with the teams exchanging the lead several times. I called this the game everyone should watch during Week 1, even though it was buried on the late afternoon slate. Most people will only see highlights, but once they do, they will be fascinated.
While the teams competed closely throughout the match, Herbert performed mediocre overall. It didn’t look like a $262 million man. He completed 69 percent of his passes, but had just one TD pass and 228 yards. Tagovailoa got the better of their head-to-head and won the match. Herbert and the Chargers won last year’s game 23-17. After today’s shootout, I would love to see these teams again in a wild card or divisional round game in the postseason.
Anytime these teams come together with Tua and Herbert headlining, it’s must-see TV. The only thing that would be better if they were in the same division, so we got two heavyweight fights from them every year. It’s likely that Tagovailoa vs. Herbert stole the show in Week 1. The NFL needs to put these guys in prime time for their next head-to-head matchup.
That 2020 draft class is starting to look like one of the best we’ve seen in a while. Tua, Herbert, Joe Burrow (although he struggled in Week 1) and Jalen Hurts (as a second-round pick) have all made names for themselves in the NFL. Burrow, Hurts and Herbert made Pro Bowls in their first three years. Burrow and Hurts also led their teams to Super Bowl appearances in consecutive seasons. If the Dolphins can keep Tagovailoa upright, it looks like he’s on a roll.
Tom Brady may be gone and Aaron Rodgers is over the hill, but the league is still thriving behind all these young QBs making a mark – in some cases immediately.