On the list of ideal scenarios heading into Sunday for the Dolphins, having Tua Tagovailoa throw for fewer than 100 yards, lose a fumble and finish the early slate of games with the second-worst percentage of throws behind expected completion percentage (-19.8%, better only than Baker Mayfield) may not have been near the top. But anyone ready to abandon the Dolphins’ experiment of inserting their rookie quarterback into the lineup for the sake of a short-sighted playoff push and something closer to replacement level handling at quarterback needs to press the pause button.
The decision to sideline Ryan Fitzpatrick was always about finding a higher ceiling both in the future and right here and now.