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Tua Tagovailoa’s hilarious response on getting body slammed on opening drive for Dolphins

Published by
Brad Sullivan

Despite getting body slammed in his first NFL start, Miami Dolphins rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was actually thrilled at getting hit during the course of a game.

Tagovailoa admitted that his performance was less than he expected, but offered a huge amount of praise to the Dolphins in their 28-17 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.

Tagovailoa’s excitement at being on the receiving end is largely due to the fact that it was just last November when his career was potentially in doubt because of season-ending hip surgery

The start for Tagovailoa started in bumpy fashion when on just his second snap of the game, Tagovailoa fumbled. However, he later threw for one touchdown to DeVante Parker and finished with a modest 93 yards on the day, completing 12 of 22 passes.

Learning from his mistakes, Tagovailoa avoided throwing any interceptions, while the aforementioned defense managed to largely keep the Rams in check.

Despite the Rams rolling up 471 yards of offense, compared to the Dolphins’ total of 145, two key plays during the second quarter won the game for the Dolphins.

The first was a 78-yard fumble return for a score by Andrew Van Ginkel, followed just a few minutes later by an 88-yard punt return by Jakeem Grant that gave the Dolphins a 21-7 lead.

Tagovailoa’s maturity and eagerness to improve over the course of his first NFL season are positive signs for the Dolphins future.

Next week, Tagovailoa will make his first start on the road as the Dolphins take on the Arizona Cardinals.

Brad Sullivan

Brad is a freelance writer for Dolphinnation.com and has been around long enough to remember the 1972 perfect season, and even when Don Shula was coaching the Colts. He still follows the Dolphins and other happenings in the NFL, so he can offer a little perspective when it comes to the ups and downs of each season. Some of his opinions may end up differing from the people who read them, but that's par for the course when it comes to life in South Florida.

Published by
Brad Sullivan

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