The first half of the Miami Dolphins’ 19-7 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13 felt like a nightmare for the Dolphins. Offensively, miscues in critical downs keep the Dolphins on the fringe of being able to sustain drives and Miami’s defense spotted the Bengals 7 point early on to put an odd lens on this football game. By the time the Dolphins got the ball back in the final two minutes of the first half, the team trailed 7-3 and had just dodged a bullet as the Bengals were called for a personal foul and missed their subsequent field goal attempt.
But Miami teased their future in that moment, going no-huddle in the two-minute offense and gaining significant yardage to climb from their own 43-yard line to the Bengals’ 30 in just 54 second to boot a 48-yard field goal and cut the score to 7-6.
The offense had life, they found effectiveness and, thankfully, decided to press the issue.
The Dolphins came out in the second half and embraced the tempo approach to the offense, which allowed Tua Tagovailoa to make some plays within the pocket and showcase his arm. And by the time the third quarter was done, the Dolphins had shifted the narrative around this football game on its head. Miami possessed the ball three times in the third quarter, scoring on all of them (the third possession extended into the first two minutes of the fourth quarter). The Dolphins accounted for 181 yards of offense in those 15 minutes (and 194 if you count the final plays of the third possession). Tua Tagovailoa passed for double the yardage in that frame than he did in three quarters against the Denver Broncos when we’d last seen him play.
A 7-6 deficit had swelled to a 19-7 lead — a score that would remain but should have been more severe if not for Miami’s second and third possessions of the quarter stalling out in the low red zone.
Miami has been searching for a way to make this offense click with Tagovailoa at the helm. They just found it. Why Miami has been so resistant to utilizing tempo with Tagovailoa is yet to be determined, but it doesn’t really matter why at this point in time — the youngster proved on Sunday that he can handle the calls and keep the offense moving when they need to play fast. And while Miami’s offense wasn’t abysmal in the first half, they certainly needed a spark.
The last time the Dolphins found themselves in those shoes, they pulled Tagovailoa in favor of Ryan Fitzpatrick in the final 10 minutes versus Denver. This week’s outcome shows that the Dolphins can indeed play fast with their inexperienced rookie — which should eliminate any future need to see a call to the bullpen barring injuries moving forward. When this team needs a spark, they need to play fast. Not make a personnel change.