MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa knows he and Justin Herbert will be linked for most of their careers.
In the 2020 NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins held the fifth overall pick and faced the franchise-altering decision of choosing between Herbert or Tagovailoa, two highly touted quarterbacks expected to anchor their teams for years to come.
Miami chose Tagovailoa, and one pick later, the Los Angeles Chargers drafted Herbert.
Since then, their career paths have been intertwined, with each milestone, setback and standout performance inviting comparison.
“He’s done a phenomenal job within his career this far," Tagovailoa said of Herbert. "I hope he has a long career. I know everyone wants to do the comparisons with all the dudes that were in my draft class, but all you can do is be happy for the guys, where they’re at in their life of football and wish the best for them.”
Tagovailoa's Dolphins (1-4) will face Herbert's Chargers (3-2) for the fourth time on Sunday. Both teams are coming off Week 5 losses in which they built and squandered early leads, and each have been beset by injuries.
Los Angeles has lost two straight and continues to face issues along its offensive line. The Chargers used four offensive line combinations in last week's loss to the Washington Commanders, during which Herbert was sacked four times.
Herbert acknowledged that pass protection will be critical against Miami's defense.
“They've got a lot of guys on the front seven that are able to get after the passer," he said. “So it's another week of protection and making sure that we're doing everything we can, communicating with the offensive line, just making sure that we're good to go with our tight ends and running backs.”
Without Tyreek Hill, who will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury, the Dolphins' offense started strong against against the Carolina Panthers last week, converting five of eight third downs as Tagovailoa threw for 151 yards and two touchdowns. But that momentum faded after halftime, with Miami going 0 for 5 on third downs and getting outscored 17-7 in the second half.
A poor start to the season seemed to compound Sunday's loss, leaving coach Mike McDaniel candid about his frustrations.
“Bottom line is it’s frustrating because there’s a lot of talking and we need to major in doing,” McDaniel said. "And I don’t think anybody wants to hear me talk about it as much as I don’t feel like saying it. It doesn’t change the steadfast reality that is you have to get better at things or you’ll continue having these same results.”
The Chargers have had a combined 24 penalties for 192 yards in their previous two losses — a sharp rise from 15 over their first three games of the season.
Herbert said minimizing mistakes is always a major point of emphasis, but players who commit pre-snap penalties during practice have been assigned “focus training,” which includes post-practice sessions with Chargers director of player performance Ben Herbert.
“That's something that coach (Jim Harbaugh) has always done a great job of,” Herbert said. “If someone does jump or if someone has a pre-snap penalty, they've got focus training after practice. And I think that's just ramped up in making sure that everyone is holding each other accountable.”
The 2020 draft class has been lauded as one of the strongest quarterback groups in recent memory. Cincinnati's Joe Burrow was selected first overall that year and the class also featured Green Bay's Jordan Love and Philadelphia's Jalen Hurts.
Together, they've accounted for two Super Bowl appearances — two by Hurts and one by Burrow — six Pro Bowl selections and all of them have inked major contract extensions with their respective teams.
Tagovailoa, whose success has often been measure against his peers, said he tries not to get caught up in the comparisons.
“The only perspective you have is what you can do to help your team win every week,” he said. "I wouldn’t say I categorize myself as if I played well, I want to see how I stacked up against this person or not. That’s not how I go about it. I’ve got to do my job and my job is to play well enough to help my team win games.”
Tagovailoa appeared on the injury report after practice Wednesday with a thumb and hip issue, though offensive coordinator Frank Smith said the team wasn't concerned about his availability.
Smith indicated the injuries were minor and caused by normal “contact" that comes with playing quarterback. Tagovailoa missed the final two games of last season with a hip injury.
“We're not anticipating any setbacks for him playing on Sunday,” Smith said Thursday.
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