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Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes praises Dolphins rookie Tua Tagovailoa ahead of Sunday showdown
By Rolando Rosa
Published:
Rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will get his biggest measuring stick of the season on Sunday when the upstart Dolphins host the Super Bowl champion Chiefs. In his sixth career start, Tagovailoa will be squaring off against reigning Super Bowl MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The Alabama product has been solid in his first pro season, amassing 898 yards, with 7 touchdowns and no interceptions while completing 63.2% of his passes.
Leading up to kickoff, Mahomes is effusive in his praise of Tagovailoa.
“He’s super talented,” Mahomes said, per ProFootballTalk. “He understands what it takes to win football games, and I think it comes from playing at Alabama and winning those national championships there. He understands exactly what needs to be done to win football games.”
Mahomes even points out an aspect of Tagovailoa’s game that he lacked as a rookie.
“He knows how to manage the game and manage the situation,” Mahomes said, per ProFootballTalk. “He’s done that his whole career. And that’s truly a remarkable thing. That’s something that I wasn’t that good at my first year here. Obviously, he has the talent, he can make all the throws, he can roll to his right, to his left, throw off balance. And he can run and make stuff happen, too. But that veteran kind of mental mindset that he has I think is truly special at this time in his career.”
Tagovailoa returned last week to guide the Dolphins to a victory vs. the Bengals after missing one week with a thumb injury.
Tagovailoa has been overshadowed to an extent by Chargers rookie quarterback Justin Herbert, but a victory against Mahomes would certainly give him a defining moment.
