Miami Dolphins rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was pulled in favor of veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick late in Week 16 against the Las Vegas Raiders in an effort to save a must-win game Saturday night.
Fitzpatrick delivered, in a way that only he can, and provided the Dolphins with a last-second 34-yard completion to Mack Hollins while being yanked to the ground by his facemask in what amounted to a no-look pass. It set up a game-winning field goal and improved Miami’s record to 10-5.
“They call him FitzMagic for a reason,” said Tagovailoa following the Dolphins’ 26-25 win.
Fitzpatrick completed 9-of-13 passes for 182 yards and a score, compared to Tagovailoa’s pedestrian 17-of-22 for 94 yards and a touchdown.
Any debate about whether Fitzpatrick should (or would) take over as the starter after Saturday night’s heroics were silenced by Dolphins coach Brian Flores, who confirmed Tagovailoa will remain Miami’s QB1 moving forward.
"No," Dolphins coach Brian Flores said. "Tua is the starter."
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) December 27, 2020
“We felt like we needed a spark the way the game was going, and Fitzy gave us that,” Flores said. “But we have a lot of confidence in Tua. He’s a young player. He’s developing. He’s learning on a daily basis. He’s learning from his experiences. He’ll be better next week.”
