Why the Tua-Herbert Debate Will Miss Bigger Point

While the focus will be on Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert, there's a bigger reason the Miami Dolphins are favored to defeat the L.A. Chargers

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the biggest reason the NFL chose the Miami Dolphins-L.A. Chargers to flex into its Sunday night slot in Week 14 is the matchup between quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert.

The two forever will be linked because they were taken one pick apart near the top of the 2020 NFL draft, so anytime they're on the same field, it's a big story — and that also includes 2020 first overall pick Joe Burrow.

And because Tua and Herbert will be on the same field Sunday, it again doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand the talking heads will have a field day this week debating who of the two is the better quarterback.

It's a loaded question with no definitive answer unlike, say, 2 plus 2 equals 4 (unless new math has determined a different sum). It's a matter of personal preference, and we're guessing the ESPN talking head split will be close to somewhere down the middle.

Who knows where NFL execs past and current would fall, though it should be noted that award-winning columnist Dave Hyde of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel surveyed former Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson and former Dolphins GM Randy Mueller along with three current NFL execs, and all five of them picked Herbert — adding they all like Tua.

That opinion obviously won't play well with a segment of Dolphins fans (you know who you are).

Let's just agree that it's perfectly reasonable to pick Herbert in this debate.

That said, it's undeniable that Tua is the one having the better statistical season and he's the one of the two who's in the NFL MVP conversation.

What also is undeniable — or at least should be — is that if we remove quarterbacks from the equation, the Dolphins also are a clearly better team right now.

And that ultimately is what should make the difference in the game at SoFi Stadium on Sunday night, just like it's the reason the Dolphins will enter the game as road favorites.

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DOLPHINS IN BETTER SHAPE THAN THE CHARGERS

The Dolphins are positioned to win — and potentially win big — in 2022 and it absolutely involves Tua, but it also involves the offensive creative genius of Mike McDaniel, the absurd (and unprecedented) outside speed at wide receiver with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, a much-improved offensive line after the addition of Terron Armstead, and a defense that features former Pro Bowl players like Melvin Ingram, Bradley Chubb and Xavien Howard.

The Chargers, on the other hand, are struggling to stay alive in the AFC playoff race with an offensive line that's been without its starting left tackle Rashawn Slater for most of the season, same as both starting wide receivers Mike Williams and Keenan Allen, high-priced free agent cornerback J.C. Jackson and defensive end Joey Bosa, who's merely the best defensive player on the team.

To be fair, the Dolphins also have had injury issues, mostly on defense, though not of this magnitude.

Through all of this, Herbert has done his best, had some brilliant moments and some not-so-good ones. He's also done it more often than not while having pass rushers draped all over him.

The absence of Armstead was mentioned as one factor in Tua and the Dolphins passing game being off against the 49ers, and maybe there's some merit to that. But then let's consider that Tua was sacked three times (all by Nick Bosa) and took five QB hits, per the official gamebook. In the Chargers' 27-20 loss against Las Vegas, Herbert was sacked five times and took 14 QB hits.

So as we look to this matchup Sunday night, it goes way beyond Tua vs. Herbert.

The Dolphins clearly have the better receiving corps with Hill and Waddle, particularly with Williams a question mark as he continues to deal with a high ankle sprain and Allen just recently back from his hamstring injury.

The Dolphins also have the better running game, even though they haven't really focused on it. Miami's average of 4.0 yards per carry is only 27th in the NFL, but still better than the Chargers' 30th-ranked average of 3.74.

When it comes to stopping the run, the Dolphins aren't just better than the Chargers, they're much better — they're 12th in average yards allowed per attempt at 4.36, while the Chargers are dead last at an historically bad 5.43.

Overall, the Dolphins rank 17th in the NFL in total defense, while the Chargers are 26th.

It's a far cry from the defense the Dolphins saw last Sunday when they faced the league's top-ranked unit in San Francisco.

THE TUA-HERBERT MATCHUP

There's a chance Armstead will be back in the lineup for the Chargers game, but even if he isn't, it's fair to expect Tua to rebound and have the type of performance he's had for most of the season.

What Herbert can do against the Dolphins defense remains to be seen, though Miami did shut down the Chargers offense in the first Tua-Herbert meeting in 2020, and that was a much better L.A. offense at the time.

The Dolphins finished 10-6 in that 2020 season thanks in large part to a defense that led the league in third-down conversion percentage and was third in interception rate, while the Chargers finished 7-9 in Anthony Lynn's final season as the team's head coach.

Each team finished 9-8 and missed the playoffs in 2021, though the Chargers came a bit closer, getting eliminated in the last game of the regular with an overtime loss against the Raiders.

Herbert was selected to the Pro Bowl last season and the Chargers clearly had a more functional offense than the Dolphins, though the Miami defense clearly was superior and the Dolphins also got six touchdowns on returns.

This season, the Dolphins have the better offense and the better defense, so they'll go into this game against the Chargers with a decided advantage — regardless of where you stand on the great Tua-Herbert debate.

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