Dolphins vs Saints Full Recap- Week 13

The Dolphins beat the Saints 21–17 yesterday, and there’s a lot to unpack from the game, so let’s get right to it.

Before getting to individual performances, let’s talk about the game itself. It was a great one to watch, providing entertainment even for the casual fan all the way to the end. The first half was all Dolphins, as their defense shut out the Saints' Alvin-Kamara-less offense and held them to just 63 yards. It was an impressive defensive showing, leaving the Saints desperately searching for answers for the first two quarters. Meanwhile, De’Von Achane once again led the Dolphins despite Tua’s struggles (more on that later), and Miami went into halftime with a commanding 16–0 lead. Even though it was technically a two-possession game, it felt much more lopsided. The Dolphins let a few opportunities slip away- only managing a field goal from deep in the red zone, another just outside the red zone, and a bad Tua interception in the end zone. They easily could have been up 23–0 given those chances, but at least they put points on the board, right?

The second half sang a different tune, as the Saints finally found a rhythm and put up points, scoring a touchdown and a two-point conversion to bring the game within reach at 16–8. The fourth quarter, though, was especially dramatic. The Dolphins had the game in hand-  up 8 with 6 minutes to go and with possession. They drove down the field with Achane, but on 3rd-and-4 at the New Orleans 46, Tua scrambled for 3.9 yards, missing the first-down marker by inches. If he had just a little more awareness of where he was, he could have gotten the first down easily; he had extra room to slide. But he came up half a foot short.

On 4th-and-1, McDaniel elected to go for it rather than attempt a 61-yard field goal with Riley Patterson (which was a good decision given the fact that kicker’s career long is 53) or punt and try to pin the Saints deep. He ran it with Ollie Gordon- a call I fully support- but Gordon made a mistake. Instead of hitting the designed hole up the middle, he bounced it outside trying to be cute, and it blew up. He was dropped for a loss, giving the Saints the ball near midfield needing a touchdown and a two-point conversion to tie. Even though the hole wasn't there up the middle, a big man like Gordon could very possibly have trudged his way for a first down anyway.

The Saint got said touchdown with a little over a minute remaining, setting up a decisive two-point conversion attempt. And here’s where the game was ultimately decided, though not in a way anyone expected. Tyler Shough dropped back and threw a pass to DeVaughn Vele, but the pass wasn’t wide enough, and Minkah Fitzpatrick picked it off.

Here’s where having a veteran player who understands the moment becomes invaluable. Fitzpatrick could have simply kneeled and trusted the Dolphins to recover the onside kick. But he wanted more. He understood that if you have an opportunity to score, you take it- no matter how little time is left. He ran the ball 100 yards for a rare defensive two-pointer, even though he was visibly exhausted afterward.

That decision won the game for Miami.

After a disastrous onside-kick operation from the Dolphins (which saw the Dolphins lacking any hustle- plus a questionable ruling that the ball grazed a Dolphins player’s thumb, allowing the Saints to recover before it reached the 10-yard marker), the Saints were gifted possession at their own 45. The Dolphins ultimately stuffed them on 4th-and-1 to clinch the win. But if Fitzpatrick hadn’t scored the two-pointer, the Saints likely would have tried a long field goal to win it. Instead, they were forced to go for it- and Miami’s defense came through. Minkah Fitzpatrick absolutely deserves player-of-the-game accolades.

We need to talk about Tua.

The league leader in interceptions has not played well this year- at all. He’s not throwing accurately, he’s making awful decisions, and he still hasn’t figured out how to scramble or extend plays. He has a pedestrian 85.9 passer rating, and he has thrown just three more touchdowns than interceptions (17 to 14). He’s also averaging a mere 190 yards per game, which would be his second-lowest mark ever, behind only 2020, when Brian Flores basically told him to check it down every play because he didn’t trust him to throw the ball more than two yards downfield.

But let’s put the stats aside for a minute: He just doesn’t look good. He looks totally off. Most fans have seen enough to conclude he is not the franchise quarterback this team has been searching for since Dan Marino. This year has featured the worst football of his career.

So the question is: What are we doing? Why are the Dolphins continuing to back him and roll him out every week? He’s not a good quarterback right now, and very few believe he can regain the success he once had a few short years ago.

Of course, the Dolphins won’t bench him yet- he’s not that bad. And realistically, what are the alternatives? As frustrating as it is, Tua still gives Miami the best chance to win each week. And that argument makes sense… but only as long as the Dolphins remain in the playoff race.

Once they’re eliminated, there is no reason to keep playing him. Why not try your hand with Quinn Ewers and see whether there’s anything there? Give him a month+ of first-team reps, let him play against NFL starters, and evaluate whether he can adjust and mature. Once Miami is out of playoff contention, the priority shifts to the future- and Ewers fits more into the plans of the future than Tua does.

How about Mike McDaniel’s play-calling?

It was smart — surprisingly conservative, something I wasn’t sure he had in him. He’s always been pass-heavy, especially once the run game stalls. He’s had a very short leash on running the ball. But this game? He ran it nearly every single time it made sense to do so. There have been moments in his coaching tenure when it felt like he called pass plays just to make Tua feel good, but that didn’t happen this week. As a result, Tua threw only one interception, and the Dolphins did enough to come away with the win.