Rob Issa, FISM News
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Tua Tagovailoa’s sensational performance yesterday led a huge Miami Dolphins 4th-quarter rally and highlighted an NFL Sunday filled with big comebacks.
Four teams — the Dolphins, Cardinals, Jets, and Chiefs — overcame deficits of at least 10 points to win in Week 2.
Tagovailoa threw a career-best six touchdown passes to lead the Miami Dolphins to a 42-38 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, who led 35-14 entering the fourth quarter. He threw for 469 yards, bouncing back after tossing two interceptions early in the game.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel had high praise for his young quarterback.
“He has a high standard for himself but after the first game, I just wanted to see the guy enjoy playing football and understand that, yes, we want to make the perfect read and the perfect throw every time but who cares if you just get better at one thing,” McDaniel said. “You’re going to be pretty good at the end of the season, let’s just press forward. Well, the absolute worst thing could have happened at the beginning of the game for him. … He went and played and took his responsibilities seriously to his teammates. … I couldn’t be happier with him, and his teammates know. His teammates learned a lot about him, and I think he learned something about himself.”
The 24-year-old Tagovailoa has faced plenty of critics since the Dolphins drafted him No. 5 overall in 2020. He’s more concerned about playing well for his teammates than silencing the doubters.
“I would say I’m always confident in what I can do, confident in myself,” he said. “But I think that just shows the resiliency of our team. It brings all our confidence up, confidence in one another, confidence that if the offense has a turnover that the defense is going to get us the ball back and vice versa.”
Tagovailoa, who led Alabama to the 2018 national championship, paints crosses on both of his cheeks for each game to honor Jesus.
“The greatest gift that God could have given us was His Son,” he told CBN before the 2020 draft. “It’s not just a matter of hearing what Jesus Christ is, it’s a matter of getting to know who Jesus Christ is. To really understand and really feel the identity of who you are because of things that He’s done. And I’d say you can only find your identity through Him if you know Him.”
Cardinal comeback
The Arizona Cardinals also erased a 20-point deficit, rallying to beat the Las Vegas Raiders 29-23 in overtime.
Miami and Arizona marked the first time in NFL history that multiple teams overcame a 20-point halftime deficit to win on the same day and the first time that two teams overcame a deficit of at least 20 points at any point to win in the same week since Week 4 of the 2011 season.
In other games Sunday:
Jets 31, Browns 30
Joe Flacco led the New York Jets to a stunning 31-30 victory at Cleveland after the Browns missed an opportunity to run out the clock because Nick Chubb scored a touchdown with 1:55 remaining in the game instead of staying in bounds.
Cowboys 20, Bengals 17
Joe Burrow led the Bengals back from a 17-3 deficit at Dallas to tie the game, but Brett Maher kicked a 50-yard field goal as time expired to give the Cowboys a shocking win over the reigning AFC champs with starting star quarterback Dak Prescott out with an injured throwing hand. Backup Cooper Rush was impressively efficient in the start, going 19-of-31 for 235 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions.
49ers 27, Seahawks 7
Veteran Jimmy Garoppolo was back in his old spot as the 49ers’ No. 1 quarterback after second-year pro Trey Lance broke his leg in the first quarter and ended his season. Garoppolo cruised with help from a stellar defensive performance and led the 49ers to a 27-7 win over Seattle.
Packers 27, Bears 10
Aaron Rodgers continued his domination of Chicago, improving to 23-5 all-time against the Bears in Green Bay’s 27-10 win.
Buccaneers 20, Saints 10
Tom Brady and the banged-up Buccaneers offense finally broke through a strong defensive battle with 17 points in the 4th quarter to lead his team to a 20-10 victory at New Orleans.
Rams 31, Falcons 27
Jalen Ramsey’s interception in the end zone preserved the Rams’ 31-27 win over Atlanta. The Falcons trailed 28-3 in the third quarter, before tallying 24 points in the second half to keep the defending Super Bowl champs on their toes.
Patriots 17, Steelers 14
Mac Jones threw for 252 yards and a touchdown pass to Nelson Agholor, who went for 110 yards on six catches, as New England held on late to beat Pittsburgh 17-14.
Giants 19, Panthers 16
Graham Gano’s 56-yard field goal helped New York beat Carolina in a tough defensive battle Sunday. The Giants have opened the season 2-0 for the first time since 2016.
Broncos 16, Texans 9
Russell Wilson and the Broncos struggled, like many other offenses this week, in a 16-9 win over Houston. The second-highest-paid quarterback in the league finally connected with Eric Saubert in the 4th quarter for the game’s only touchdown and sealed the victory. Courtland Sutton was the one shining offensive player in the game, catching seven passes for 122 yards.
Jaguars 24, Colts 0
Second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence went 25-of-30 for 235 yards and two touchdowns and Jacksonville’s defense dominated the Indianapolis Colts 24-0. Veteran quarterback Matt Ryan struggled mightily for the Colts, connecting on just 16-of-30 passes for 195 with no touchdowns and three interceptions.
Lions 36, Commanders 27
Jared Goff won an entertaining quarterback battle, throwing four touchdown passes to lift Detroit past Washington 36-27. Commanders’ quarterback Carson Wentz threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough to lead his team to a comeback from a scoreless first half.