ClutchPoints
The Miami Dolphins’ playoff hopes officially ended Monday night with a 28-15 road loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15, a game defined as much by the frigid conditions as by Miami’s early offensive struggles.
Playing in near-freezing temperatures at Acrisure Stadium, the Dolphins fell behind quickly and never fully recovered, despite a late push that made the box score look a little respectable.
Entering Week 15, Tagovailoa’s record 0-5 in games played at 40 degrees or less, posed concerns. Given Tagovailoa’s history, the postgame focus quickly shifted to his track record in cold-weather games, with the Steelers matchup, played with kickoff temperatures near 20 degrees, only adding to that trend. However, the QB pushed back against the idea that the cold played a factor in the loss.
“I don’t think the cold was a factor. It is what it is. We’ve got to go play football at the end of the day,” said Tagovailoa, via Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post.
The former Alabama standout has enjoyed massive NFL success, including a Pro Bowl selection and league-leading passing numbers in recent seasons. Still, questions about his performance in low temperatures have often lingered.
While his final stat line showed efficiency with 22-of-28 passing for 253 yards and two touchdowns, most of that production came in the fourth quarter after Pittsburgh had already seized control.
While cold-weather struggles are rarely the fault of one player, Miami’s inability to establish the run or generate early explosive plays placed added pressure on their signal caller.
Tagovailoa did connect with Darren Waller for two late touchdowns, but by then the Dolphins had already fallen too far behind. The loss dropped Miami to 6-8 and officially eliminated them from postseason contention.
Whether fair or not, Tagovailoa’s cold-weather narrative will persist until Miami proves it can win meaningful games outside of warm conditions, a hurdle that could define the next phase of the franchise’s trajectory.
The post Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa reveals impact of cold in MNF loss to Steelers appeared first on ClutchPoints.
