Tua Tagovailoa started the Miami Dolphins’ game against the Atlanta Falcons with a swollen left eye. Despite this, he took the field and threw for a season-high four touchdowns, helping the Dolphins secure a 34-10 victory.

To protect his eye during the game, Tagovailoa wore a visor on his helmet. The visor appears to have helped Tagovailoa, as he revealed today, “I can see a lot better than I could.”

He was uncertain about the reason why that happened but plans to continue wearing the visor going forward. Tagovailoa was listed on the game-day injury report as questionable but was able to play. He completed 20 of 26 passes for 205 yards with no interceptions and a passer rating of 138.6. It was his fourth-best career rating.

Just a week earlier, Tagovailoa had a rough outing against the Cleveland Browns, where he was pulled from the game after throwing three interceptions for the second straight match. This time, he was subbed out late in the fourth quarter in favor of Zach Wilson. After starting the Falcons’ game with a three-and-out drive, Tagovailoa led a 13-play, 79-yard drive capped by a 3-yard touchdown pass to De’Von Achane.

His second touchdown came to Malik Washington  with just 11 seconds left in the first half. In the second half, he threw two more touchdowns. A 43-yard pass to Jaylen Waddle and a 20-yard strike to Ollie Gordon II. That put Miami’s offense above the Falcons’ league-leading defense in passing yards for the day, finishing with 205 yards.

The offense focused more on running the ball with a season-high 141 rushing yards shared by Achane, Gordon, and Jaylen Wright.​

His Week 8 performance marked a significant shift from recent struggles. Tagovailoa had found the previous weeks tough, throwing one touchdown against six interceptions over the two prior games. His 10 interceptions this season were tied for the most in the NFL.

But despite all that, Mike McDaniel showed his trust in Tagovailoa as a starter. The confidence was reflected in the team’s strong showing against Atlanta.

Mike McDaniel’s strategy redefines Dolphins’ offense

One of the week’s standout developments was McDaniel’s bold shift in offensive strategy. The Dolphins, who until then had never deployed a jumbo package during his tenure, introduced six offensive linemen on the field at once. Center Daniel Brunskill took on a versatile role. This formation was new and unexpected for opponents. Miami had been the only NFL team since 2022 not to run a single snap with six offensive linemen on the field.

The absence of key tight end Julian Hill due to injury pushed McDaniel to diversify his offensive line strategy. Brunskill, known for his versatility and a former teammate of McDaniel in San Francisco, not only played as an extra blocker but also received motions and in-space assignments during the game. This innovative use yielded significant gains, including several plays of 17, 18, and even 21 yards, as well as some penalties against the defense.

McDaniel praised Brunskill’s ability to quickly learn play calls and assignments, a feat rare among offensive linemen.​ By adopting this new approach, the Dolphins amassed 338 total yards, with balanced production of 197 passing yards and 141 rushing yards.

The game marked a step forward for Miami, though the team still dealt with its overall 2-6 record heading into a short week before facing Baltimore.​