After starting the season with 6 losses in the first 8 games, the Miami Dolphins seem to have found a second wind! Now, after Week 12, they’re 5-6, and the latest win came against the Patriots. The thrilling 34-15 win against the New England side further established the Dolphins quarterback’s dominance against them, as Tua Tagovailoa extended his perfect record to 7-0 versus the Patriots. And, well, he was as humble as ever after the win.

“It’s great any time you can find a win against a divisional opponent,” he said after winning at home. “It’s not my win. It’s a team win. So I’ll leave that to them.” Next up, they’re heading to Lambeau Field on Thanksgiving to take on Jordan Love and the Packers (8-3), who’re just coming off a statement 38-10 win over the (ailing) 49ers. Interestingly, Tagovailoa will be going into that game with a 7-0 losing record, not against the Packers, but against the weather.

The Hawaii native has lost all 7 games he’s played in temperatures below 40°F. The maximum temperature predicted for the Thanksgiving game in Wisconsin is 33°F. But the signal-caller isn’t fazed, especially after the performance he put up against the Patriots. Tagovailoa threw for 317 yards and 4 touchdowns.

In the post-game press conference, when asked if he and the team would take time to enjoy the win over New England, Tagovailoa replied, “I would say it’s always great to win. It’s always great to enjoy the win. But there were some things second half-wise that we knew we could have capitalized on that we didn’t, things we said we wanted to do coming out in the second half that we didn’t and those can be frustrating.” 

While ruing the chances that the Dolphins missed against the Patriots, Tagovailoa also issued a warning to Jordan Love and the Packers. “We’ll enjoy this win, but this next one is going to be big for us, and we’re excited to go down to Green Bay and show everybody on primetime what we can do.” The Dolphins quarterback watched his team lose 3 games and win only 1 from Week 3 to Week 7 when he was healing from a concussion. After returning, he has turned things around.

Though the Dolphins lost the Week 8 game against the Cardinals (27-28) and the Week 9 matchup against the Bills (27-30), everything fell into place in the Week 10 game against the Rams, which they won 23-15. That seemed to be the turning point. The 34-19 victory in Week 11 against the Raiders, followed by this weekend’s victory over New England, has given them some much-needed confidence. But the Packers will not be an easy opponent.

Jordan Love & Co. will be waiting, fully prepared. They have also won back-to-back games. Though their Week 11 win against the Bears by 20-19 was toughly contested, the 38-10 victory that followed against the 49ers was a great feat. That said, in the highly anticipated Thanksgiving game on November 28, there’s another hurdle Tua has to cross.

As mentioned earlier, Tagovailoa’s record in the cold isn’t great. And considering the forecast for Thursday, of course he fielded questions regarding the same. But that record doesn’t seem to be bothering him. In fact, he’s going into the game with one goal: “I’m excited to kill narratives, so let’s go. Bring it on.” Maybe this is the mindset and confidence that promoted the Dolphins’ former quarterbacks coach, Jason Garrett, to praise Tua!

Jason Garrett sees similarities between Tua Tagovailoa and Magic Johnson

In 5 games after his comeback, the Dolphins quarterback has 11 touchdowns and only 1 interception. And those 4 touchdowns against the Patriots made the ex-Dolphins quarterbacks coach Jason Garrett issue some high praise for the quarterback. The NBC Sports analyst said during the game, “The guy is Magic Johnson. I’ve never seen a guy see the field this quickly and get the ball out of his hands so quickly into these holes where guys can catch it. He’s a magician.”

That’s a massive compliment, given just how much of a legend Magic Johnson is in the NBA. But Garrett’s comments weren’t just about the game against the Patriots. Since Week 8, Tua Tagovailoa has had the highest passer rating in the league. He might be on the way to improving his pass accuracy, too. In those 5 games from Week 8, he has completed passes with more than a 70% average.

Though they lost the Week 9 revenge game against the Bills, the quarterback recorded 25 of 28 passes (89% completion rate). But it’s a long road. “I would say we’re still below the .500 threshold, and it’s a long way to where we want to get to.” His words reflect the scenario perfectly. With a 5-6 win-loss record, the Dolphins are 8th in the AFC. But with this win over the Patriots, they’ve put themselves in the running for a spot in the Wild Card round.

The Chargers (7-3), Ravens (7-4), and Broncos (7-5) currently hold the Wild Card spots in the AFC, but Miami is right on the brink. Apart from the Thanksgiving game against the Packers, they have two games against the struggling Jets, a trip to play against the Browns and the Texans, as well as a home match-up against the 49ers. It’s safe to say the next 6 games are as crucial as ever if Tua Tagovailoa & Co. want to make it to the postseason yet again.