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When Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert went head to head in 2022, the Dolphins and Chargers finished within one score of each other, with Los Angeles claiming the tight win. A year later, kicking off the 2023 campaign, the AFC contenders were back at it with another shootout, but this time Tagovailoa had the last laugh, airing it out for 466 yards in a thriller of a 36-34 victory.
Picking up right where he left off in 2022, star wide receiver Tyreek Hill was practically uncoverable racing downfield as Tagovailoa's top target, securing 11 catches for 215 yards and two touchdowns to propel Miami's passing attack. But Tagovailoa also spread the ball around to plenty of others, ensuring five other players finished with at least 30 receiving yards. The aerial assault was the catalyst in the Dolphins racking up 536 total yards in a game that saw each team record 30 first downs and trade leads left and right.
"Tua's a baller, brah," Hill said after the game. "I've been saying it since last year. He definitely showed it today. Even during halftime, he was able to get guys going a little bit. ... Big-time moment. Big-time players make big-time plays."
Herbert and Co. had a chance to come back, taking possession of the ball with 1:45 left, but a crucial intentional grounding penalty levied against the Chargers' signal-caller put L.A. in a bind. More concerning was Brandon Staley's defense, which was an absolute sieve. Cornerback J.C. Jackson picked off Tagovailoa in the end zone at one point, but otherwise, it was all struggles for the Bolts' secondary, overshadowing a killer day from Chargers running back Austin Ekeler.
Here are some immediate takeaways from Sunday's shootout:
Why the Dolphins won
The Tagovailoa-Hill connection is as lethal as it's ever been. You can't overstate the importance of a dynamic QB-WR connection, and boy do these guys have it. Tua casually racked up 466 yards by leaning heavily on Hill's unmatched speed, but he also showed situational grit and tight-window touch late in Sunday's game. There are concerns: the offense lacked much pop on the ground, and Vic Fangio's defense invited all kinds of rushing success. But if Tua can stay upright and sling it like he did against the Chargers' mostly hapless secondary, it's fair to fear Miami. Even at 29, Hill feels like a unicorn at his position.
Why the Chargers lost
Brandon Staley is still in charge, and he's still yet to showcase anything resembling even a half-vaunted defense. Herbert was nowhere close to Tua's numbers, but that's because Ekeler had his way on the ground alongside Joshua Kelley. And yet none of it really mattered, because Staley's "D," save for an end-zone pick by J.C. Jackson and an early fumble recovery, had no answers -- schematically, physically, however -- for the Hill show. Herbert didn't help late with a critical intentional-grounding penalty on the final drive, but all in all, this was a coaching and defensive defeat.
Turning point
In a game with so many lead changes, it's tough to pinpoint when exactly the momentum permanently shifted for Miami, but Herbert's final-series penalty really did dig L.A. into an insurmountable hole as the Chargers tried to come back from down two. After a first-down throw to Gerald Everett, the QB set up from his own 35, only to sling one out of bounds in the face of pressure, pushing L.A. to a second-and-21 with just 1:18 to go.
Play of the game
Pick basically any bomb from Tua to Tyreek, but this one, with just over three and a half minutes left, and Tagovailoa on the move, was particularly impressive, not only for showcasing the QB's accuracy but setting up the Dolphins' go-ahead score:
What's next
The Dolphins (1-0) will travel to New England for a divisional showdown with the Patriots (0-1) on "Sunday Night Football," one week after Mac Jones and Co. fell to the Eagles at home. The Chargers (0-1) will hit the road for a matchup with the Titans (0-1), who fell in a close one to the Saints on Sunday.
