The rivalry might be fierce, but that didn’t stop Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa from showing some love and respect to his opponent. Ahead of Miami’s game with the Baltimore Ravens, Tagovailoa shared that he admires the Ravens’ QB Lamar Jackson and how the Ravens’ star has been an inspiration to him.

“I got a lot of respect for Lamar,” the Dolphins quarterback said. Looking back on his college days, Tagovailoa mentioned that Jackson once reached out to him to praise his performance. He recalled that it was the same year Jackson won the MVP award in 2019.

“I was in college, I think he was in the NFL. He reached out to me, and told me that I was balling, and I thought that was one of the coolest things.”

Jackson’s impressive work ethic and dedication to the game have clearly left an impression on Tagovailoa, who called the Ravens star a “game changer.” He also related to and praised how Jackson handles the noise and criticism that come with the spotlight as the quarterback of the team.

“I’ve been hearing talks about what people say about him,” he said, “and whatnot, and how he handles himself and how he goes about his business. Very respectable, very commendable.”

Now in his seventh season, Jackson still faces scrutiny for not yet leading Baltimore to a Super Bowl title. The Alabama product knows the pressure all too well, as he continues to face his own critics over interceptions and Miami’s uneven record.

“And he’s a baller like that’s just flat out what he is and that’s what he does,” He said. He’s a game changer with what he can do in the pocket, throwing the ball deep on the run.”

While Tagovailoa has immense respect for the QB, he hasn’t forgotten the competition, and neither has Jackson. As he returns from his hamstring injury, the Ravens QB has also raised the hype.

“I felt like we had a great day today,” Jackson said when asked whether he is expecting his first day after injury to be slow. “We’ll execute tomorrow, and then come Thursday night just fly.”

These are some strong words. And both are quite clearly excited for the game. But before that, the Dolphins QB must deal with his own injuries. The QB recently shared some positive news about his odd eye issue that troubled him in Week 8.

Tua Tagovailoa will continue with precaution after his eye issue

Before the game against the Atlanta Falcons, the Dolphins’ QB woke up with a swollen left eye. It was bad to the point where he wasn’t able to see. Fortunately, the medical team was able the treat the issue for the moment. However, he wore a visor during the game.

He was able to have a great performance, racking up 4 touchdowns to lead the Dolphins secure a 34-10 win over the Falcons. During the press conference, he assured that his eye has gotten better and his vision is much better than before. When asked if he would wear the visor again in Week 9, he agreed.

“I think the guys like the visor, so I’ll stick with the visor,” Tagovailoa told the reporters.

There isn’t much information on how he got the injury, but he will take precautions until his eye is completely healed. And a little extra care won’t be bad when he faces Jackson and the Ravens at Hard Rock Stadium.