Tua Tagovailoa, Myles Gaskin Prove Key to Dolphins' Success

The Miami Dolphins offense got back some key players Sunday, when quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and running back Myles Gaskin returned from injuries and were reinserted into the starting lineup. And the duo immediately made an impact, helping the team continue its push toward the playoffs.

Miami notched a 19-7 win over the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium, its seventh victory in its past eight games. The Dolphins are 8-4 and sit as the No. 6 seed in the AFC.

After falling behind in the first quarter, the Dolphins scored 19 unanswered points over the final three quarters on four field goals by Jason Sanders and a 5-yard touchdown pass from Tagovailoa to tight end Mike Gesicki. Meanwhile, the Bengals were held scoreless over the last 48 minutes, 20 seconds.

Here are three takeaways from Miami's win on Sunday.

Tagovailoa was benched midway through the Dolphins' loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 11 and then missed their Week 12 win over the New York Jets with a thumb injury. Gaskin hadn't played since Week 8 because of an MCL sprain. Both quickly got back into the swing of things on Sunday, though.

In one of the best showings of his rookie season, Tagovailoa went 26-for-39 for a career-high 296 yards and a touchdown: a 5-yard scoring pass to Gesicki that gave Miami a 13-7 lead with 11:35 to go in the third quarter, a lead it never relinquished.

The 22-year-old quarterback has yet to throw an interception through his first six NFL games.

"We've got a lot of confidence in Tua," Dolphins head coach Brian Flores said, according to Alain Poupart of Sports Illustrated. "I think what went into the decision to start him was we thought he practiced well, thought he was healthy enough to play."

Gaskin was healthy, too, and he had a heavy workload upon his return, rushing for 90 yards on 21 carries and hauling in two passes for 51 yards. He's had a breakout year in his second NFL season, making Miami's running game much stronger when he's on the field.

The Dolphins totaled 406 yards of offense, their most since a Week 5 win over the San Francisco 49ers. If Tagovailoa and Gaskin stay healthy and build off this showing moving forward, then the offense should continue to play at a high level.

This game could have been a head-to-head showdown between the first two quarterbacks taken in the 2020 NFL draft. But Bengals rookie quarterback Joe Burrow tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee in Week 11 and is out for the season, leading to Brandon Allen starting under center against the Dolphins.

Allen eventually left with a chest injury on a tough day for Cincinnati's offense. Miami's defense has been strong this season, so it wasn't too surprising to see this outcome. The Bengals had only 196 total yards (including just 40 on the ground) and committed two turnovers—interceptions by Dolphins cornerbacks Xavien Howard and Nik Needham.

Miami lost Howard late in the second quarter, as he and Cincinnati wide receiver Tyler Boyd were ejected after getting into a scuffle on the sideline at the conclusion of a play. It didn't prevent the Dolphins from having a dominant showing in the second half, though, as the Bengals compiled only 25 yards over the last two quarters.

A key reason for Miami's defensive success was the pressure it forced. It had six sacks, including three from linebacker Kyle Van Noy and two by defensive end Shaq Lawson.

The Dolphins have allowed only 10 points between their past two games, and they rank second in the NFL with 17.7 points allowed per game, behind only the Pittsburgh Steelers (17.1).

The Dolphins' schedule hasn't been too tough so far. They own a pair of victories over the winless Jets and have also defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-11) and the Bengals (2-9-1).

If they're going to get into the playoffs, though, they will need to keep playing well over the final four weeks of the regular season against some difficult opponents.

Miami's final four games are against the Kansas City Chiefs (11-1), New England Patriots (6-6), Las Vegas Raiders (7-5) and Buffalo Bills (8-3). The Dolphins lost 21-11 to the Pats in Week 1 and 31-28 to the Bills in Week 2.

The Bills have yet to play their Week 13 game, as they are set to take on San Francisco 49ers on Monday night. If they lose, their AFC East lead will be down to one game over the Dolphins, who could still end up winning the division title if they can finish the year strong.

Las Vegas and New England are currently just outside of wild-card spots in the AFC playoff picture. Miami could keep those teams out and solidify its own spot if it can win those upcoming matchups.

The Dolphins are guaranteed to have their first non-losing season since 2016, and it's possible they could be heading to the postseason for the first time since then as well. But it may take some impressive wins for them to get there.