The 49ers won’t see rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa when they face the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium. Miami on Tuesday announced veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick will be under center.
This may be a blessing for the 49ers. Tagovailoa was the No. 5 overall pick in this year’s draft out of Alabama, and he may have gone in the top 2 had he not suffered a season-ending hip injury during his final college season. He finished his career with the Crimson Tide completing 69.3 percent of his throws with 87 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions. There’s a good chance he winds up being a stellar NFL player.
Instead, 37-year-old Ryan Fitzpatrick will continue starting for Miami. A 1-3 start and a poor performance from Fitzpatrick against a porous Seattle defense in Week 4 led to louder questions about when Tagovailoa would start.
Fitzpatrick has far more NFL experience, but his performances have been sporadic. He’s completing 69 percent of his throws, but that’s buoyed by an 18-for-20 showing against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3. He’s also tossed four touchdowns and five interceptions. Of those five interceptions, three came in Week 1 against the Patriots, and two came last week against the Seahawks. He had no touchdown passes in either game, but he did toss two touchdowns and no interceptions in Week 2 and Week 3.
While Tagovailoa staying on the bench may be good news for the 49ers, it won’t be easy stopping Fitzpatrick. He’s shown a knack for finding running lanes behind Miami’s vertical passing attack, and that may wind up being a bigger factor than anything when the two teams face off in Week 5.
The 49ers and Dolphins kick off at 1:05pm Pacific Time on Sunday from Levi’s Stadium.