Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins jump through hoop into playoff contention, 34-15

Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins are back, and they’re back after climbing all over their favorite stepping stone. Miami won its third straight game on Sunday, clubbing New England, 34-15. And in the process, the Dolphins (5-6) leaped out of the water and into playoff contention in the AFC.

Tagovailoa threw for 317 yards and four touchdowns and Jaylen Waddle had 144 yards and a touchdown on eight catches to help Miami register its first season sweep of the Patriots in 24 years, since 1999-2000. Miami has now won four straight over New England (3-8) and eight of the last nine. And Tagovailoa was 2 years old when Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas intercepted passes to lead the Dolphins to their last sweep of the Patriots.

“I’m glad we got a win,” Tagovailoa told Aditi Kinkhabwala on the CBS postgame show. “I think at the start of the second half, we’ve got to be able to start faster and finish a little better.”

The start of that second half really stood out as the only blemish on the Dolphins’ day. Tagovailoa led Miami to points on all four second-quarter possessions, including three straight touchdowns, to take a 24-0 lead into halftime.

Tagovailoa, pulled by Mike McDaniel with 11 minutes left in the game and Miami winning 31-7, continued his personal dominance of New England. In seven starts against the Patriots, Tagovailoa is 7-0 with 1,616 yards, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions. Observers can only wonder where the Dolphins would be had Tagovailoa not missed four games, including losses to Seattle, Tennessee and Indianapolis, with a concussion.

Over the Dolphins’ last 21 drives not ended by kneel-downs or the clock, the team has produced points on 15 of them. They’ll need that momentum as they enter a short week, assigned to travel for a Thanksgiving night game at Green Bay. The early Lambeau Field forecast calls for 19-degree temperatures, 11-mph winds and a 2-percent chance of snow.

For more information on the Dolphins and Patriots, visit the Miami and New England team pages at ProFootballPost.com.