Former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was selected by the Miami Dolphins with the No. 5 overall selection in the 2020 NFL draft. After waiting five weeks, he saw his first in-game action against the New York jets where he completed two passes in the final two minutes of the contest.
Shortly after the game, Dolphins head coach Brian Flores announced Tagovailoa would be making a move to the top of the depth chart, making veteran quareback Ryan Fitzpatrick the second-string signal caller.
Having last week off, the Crimson Tide product has now had two weeks to prepare for his starting debut in Week 8 at home against the Los Angeles Rams.
There’s no way of predicting the future and seeing how the rookie will performs against the Rams’ strong pass defense.
Well, there’s no crystal ball to show us the box score for this Sunday’s game, but we can run a Madden simulation between the two teams and use that to hold us over!
Here’s what Tagovailoa’s debut as a starting quarterback looked like according to Madden 21:
First Quarter:
The Dolphins received the kickoff to open then game, and Tagovailoa wasted no time letting the ball fly. His first passing attempt was a 22-yard completion to tight end Durham Smythe.
Then, after a few more completions and some hefty runs by Myles Gaskin, Miami was deep inside the redzone. Having 12 yards between Tagovailoa and six points, he threw a bullet into a crowded corner of the endzone, looking for DeVante Parker. However, the pass was intercepted and returned 26 yards.
His first drive as a sarting quarterback in the NFL saw four completions on four passing attempts, until the interception, for 39 yards.
The Miami defense did their job and held Jared Goff and the Rams to a three-and-out, leading to Tagovailoa getting the ball back with a minute left.
In that minute, the 2018 Heisman finalist led a strong charge down the field to put Miami in the redzone as the first quarter expired.
First quarter stats: 8/9, 81 yds, 1 INT.
Score: 0-0
