Tua Tagovailoa threw for 466 yards and three touchdowns, Tyreek Hill had 11 catches for 215 yards and two scores, and the Miami Dolphins rallied for a 36-34 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Tua Tagovailoa might have shocked some observers by putting up one of the best passing days in an opener in NFL history."It was validating for me, because I don't feel crazy. That's kind of what I expected to happen," coach Mike McDaniel said after the Miami Dolphins rallied for a 36-34 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
"I wanted to play fast and deliberate. I kind of went into a zone there," said Hill, who had his third 200-yard receiving game."Even during halftime, Tua was getting guys going. He leaned on me a little bit toward the end and that meant more targets." Different would be an understatement. In last season's 23-17 win in Week 13, the Chargers held the Dolphins to 219 total yards, with 119 coming on two plays, and didn't allow Miami to get into the red zone.
Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack blamed the defense for the loss, but also acknowledged the brilliance of Tagovailoa and Hill. Raheem Mostert had 37 yards rushing, including a 2-yard TD in the first quarter. Jaylen Waddle had four receptions for 78 yards. Jason Sanders kicked three field goals. Austin Ekeler had 117 yards and a score, the fourth 100-yard game of his seven-year career. Joshua Kelley added 91 yards and had a 2-yard touchdown run a minute into the fourth quarter to make it 31-27.