Is Tua Tagovailoa playing on Sunday? Dolphins QB’s status explored for Week 12 game vs. Patriots

Tua Tagovailoa will start for the Miami Dolphins in their Week 12 matchup against the New England Patriots. The quarterback isn’t listed on this week’s injury report, clearing him for Sunday’s divisional clash.

This sets up Tagovailoa’s first meeting with Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye. The Dolphins’ signal-caller holds an impressive 6-0 career record against New England, though he missed their Week 5 victory this season.

Tua Tagovailoa’s presence adds extra weight to this AFC East battle. Miami sits at 4-6 after two straight wins, still eyeing a playoff spot. The Patriots, meanwhile, continue their rebuild at 3-8.

“I respect his game a lot,” Tua Tagovailoa said about Maye on Thursday. “He’s a rookie, so there’s going to be bumps within his journey, but you see a lot of flashes of things that he can do.”

Miami coach Mike McDaniel brushed off the franchise’s historical success against New England on Wednesday.

“I think the biggest setup in the National Football League is praise or overindulgence into stats of former teams,” he cautioned.

Dolphins’ offensive evolution takes center stage under Tua Tagovailoa

The Dolphins’ attack has evolved significantly in 2024 under Tagovailoa. They’ve already matched last season’s success with 18 scoring drives lasting 10-plus plays. Even more impressive: they’ve recorded five scoring drives of 14-plus plays.

Their red zone numbers tell a compelling story. Since Week 8, Miami has scored 11 touchdowns in 15 trips inside the 20-yard line. In goal-to-go situations, it has been nearly perfect – nine touchdowns in 10 attempts.

The Patriots face different offensive challenges. They rank 29th in red zone efficiency, converting just 15 of 32 chances (46.9%). However, Maye showed promise last week against the LA Rams, completing 30 of 40 passes for 282 yards.

Patriots tight end Hunter Henry knows what’s needed in Miami on Thursday.

“We got to go down there and execute, play our brand of football – not turning the ball over, playing from ahead,” he said.

A Miami victory would mark its first consecutive season sweep over New England since 1999-2000. But as McDaniel said:

“It is the Miami Dolphins versus the New England Patriots on Sunday.”

Sunday’s contest begins at 1 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on CBS.