How the Dolphins Can Win with Thompson

The Miami Dolphins failed without Tua Tagovailoa in 2022 but also didn't provide his backups with much help.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson (19) fakes a handoff to running back De'Von Achane (28) during the fourth quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

There's a sense of doom and gloom among the Miami Dolphins fan base (and even some media members) after the concussion that has sidelined Tua Tagovailoa.

Even though it's still too early to know exactly how long the Dolphins will be without Tagovailoa, the focus already has shifted to which quarterback they could bring in to ensure the season doesn't go sideways before/if he returns.

Through all of this is the assumption that the Dolphins are a lost cause with Thompson at quarterback, that it's almost a given that every game he starts will be a loss — or close to it.

To be sure, Thompson has yet to give anyone much reason to be overly confident about his ability to run the offense to a decent level of efficiency, based on the fact the highest passer rating he has ever achieved in a regular season or playoff game where he has attempted at least ten passes is a paltry 76.3 rating.

And then, of course, this is where some Dolphins fans will point to the five games that Tagovailoa missed in 2022 when he dealt with his first two diagnosed concussions and the ugly 1-4 record where the only victory was the butt-ugly 11-6 victory against the already-eliminated New York Jets in the season finale.

But here comes the counterargument, asking why the Dolphins are necessarily doomed if Thompson has to start multiple games.

THOMPSON NEEDS TEAMMATES TO STEP UP

It is not a great revelation to suggest that players like Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Jalen Ramsey have to step up and show why the Dolphins gave them all big-money new deals in the offseason.

But this applies to just about everybody else on the roster.

In simple words, how about the Dolphins don't make it all about Thompson? As has been stated on this website many times, it wasn't all about Tua when the Dolphins had success the past two seasons.

Going back to that 2022 season, yes, the Dolphins were 1-4, but let's examine the four losses — against the New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, and New England Patriots in the regular season and against Buffalo in the playoffs.

We'll start with the most obvious stat: the defense failed to record a single takeaway in the three regular-season games above. That makes a big difference.

We can then look at the mistakes that were not QB-related, such as Waddle losing a fumble at the Minnesota 30-yard line when the Dolphins were driving for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. Or Jason Sanders missing a field goal that would have put the Dolphins ahead against the Jets at MetLife Stadium before New York scored three touchdowns to make the final score a deceiving 40-17.

No one is expecting the Dolphins' offense to be nearly as effective without Tagovailoa, but the next four opponents — the games that Tagovailoa would miss if he ends up on injured reserve — are Seattle, Tennessee, New England, and Indianapolis, with Arizona after that.

Not one of those teams made the playoffs last season.

So, why can't the Dolphins win one or more of those games?

Yes, there's a massive drop-off from Tua to Thompson, but this is, after all, a team game. And if the Dolphins completely collapse with their backup quarterback, that would make quite a statement on the team as a whole.

And it's not a good statement.