Watch: Tua Tagovailoa makes baffling decision on 3rd down

Tua Tagovailoa returned from his rib injury for the Miami Dolphins’ game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday. He made some big throws against a defense that flat-out refused to cover tight ends, but one decision Tua made in the first half left viewers scratching their heads.

The Dolphins had 3rd-and-2 deep in Jaguars’ territory when Tagovailoa got outside the pocket and could have run for an easy first down. Instead, he decided at the last second to go for a bigger play by throwing the ball. He sailed it way over the head of his intended target.

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— josh houtz (@houtz) October 17, 2021

Miami went for it on fourth down and converted, but they still settled for a field goal. Tua’s poor decision may not have impacted the drive, but that was a rookie mistake from a player who is not a rookie. Given the situation, Tagovailoa should have known to get the easy first down.

Fortunately, the play didn’t make Tua look quite as bad as Trevor Lawrence made himself look with what he said on the sideline earlier in the game.