Tua Tagovailoa doesn’t attribute loss to trade talks

[ad_1]

Business rumors had nothing to do with Miami’s offensive performance in a 26-11 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said. The effect of the Buffalo defense – that’s another matter.

For more than a week, reports reported that Miami was working to get disgruntled Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. But that can’t last more than two days – the NFL trade deadline is 3:00 p.m. CDT on Tuesday.

MORE NFL:

TREVON DIGGS HUNTING AN NFL RECORD SUNDAY NIGHT

PACKERS CLAMP FIRST LOSS OF 2021 ON CARDINALS

At that deadline, Tagovailoa said: “I didn’t even think about it” after Sunday’s game.

“I don’t think this trade deadline for me really means anything,” Tagovailoa said. “I will continue to work hard in our meetings and try to see things that we can fix to help us win the week ahead.”

Dolphins coach Brian Flores said on Friday the former Alabama All-American would remain Miami’s quarterback for the 2021 season “barring injury”.

Asked again after Sunday’s game about trade reports, Flores said: “Like I said, Tua is our quarterback. Tua is our quarterback.

Selected to the Pro Bowl in each of the previous three seasons, Watson did not play for the Texans in 2021 after battling the offseason with team management.

Watson asked to be traded. Added to the Texans’ ability to do so is 22 lawsuits against the quarterback alleging sexual harassment and improper conduct and 10 criminal complaints that are under investigation.

Although NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said on Tuesday that the league did not have enough prosecution information to suspend Watson, reports indicate the Dolphins want the off-court issues resolved before they go. pull the trigger on a trade for the quarterback, who can choose where he goes since his contract includes a no-trade clause.

On Sunday, Tagovailoa completed 21 of 39 passes for 205 yards without a touchdown and an interception and ran for 10 yards and a touchdown in four carries.

“It just wasn’t up to par, that’s what I would say,” Tagovailoa said of his performance. “We obviously didn’t win, so that’s kind of how I judge how we are doing, not just myself, but offensively.”

Tagovailoa scored Miami’s lone touchdown on a one-meter dive with 9:39 to go. With his 2-point conversion pass to tight end Mike Gesicki, the Dolphins reduced Buffalo’s lead to 17-11. A 40-yard completion to Gesicki on the fourth and sixth yards on the Bills’ 44-yard line allowed the touchdown.

With Miami led 20-11, Tagovailoa was intercepted by Jordan Poyer, whose 26-yard return put Buffalo on the Dolphins’ 11-yard line with 2:21 remaining and set the final score.

The game was tied 3-3 at halftime after Miami missed its best scoring opportunity when a shotgun shot at Buffalo’s 12-yard line hit Gesicki, who was on the move, and the Bills recovered the loose ball with 11 seconds left in the first half.

“I know there are games he would like to find again,” said Flores. “Before half-time, of course, and the interception. But he made some good shots. I thought we moved the ball decently in the first half, got a few early tries in the running game, threw some good balls at (DeVante) Parker and got Gesicki on that fourth down. I thought he had done some good things, but overall not enough.

Tagovailoa’s passing efficiency score on Sunday was 58.17. The three worst passer scores of Tagovailoa’s 15 NFL starts came in his three games against the Bills.

Tagovailoa was 40.6 in the Dolphins’ 35-0 loss to Buffalo on September 19.

In the 2020 regular season finale, Tagovailoa posted a 62.5 score in a 56-26 loss to the Bills. This is the only game in which Tagovailoa threw three interceptions.

“It’s a good defense,” Tagovailoa said. “… They play really well, really physical up front, they don’t need a lot of backward communication for them. They are a veteran group, and they make it difficult for teams to play against them.

Miami defeated the New England Patriots 17-16 on September 12, the first Sunday of the season. The Dolphins have lost their seven games since. This is the fifth consecutive losing streak of at least seven games in franchise history.

“It’s tough when you lose,” Tagovailoa said, “but like I’ve said in previous interviews, the guys are a good bunch, a good bunch of guys, and nobody keeps their heads down. just keep going, then we’ll come tomorrow, see what we need to clean up and fix, and we’ll go from there.

The Dolphins face the Houston Texans on November 7 at noon CST at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Texans have also lost seven straight games after winning their season opener.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT AL.COM’S NFL COVERAGE, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @ AMarkG1.

[ad_2]