Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa will try to put his cold-weather woes on ice and stay unbeaten against Jets

By Canadian Press on December 4, 2025.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa is heading to New York looking to keep the Miami Dolphins’ late-season surge going — with a bit of perfection on the line.

The sixth-year quarterback is 6-0 against the Jets as a starter, including the Dolphins’ 27-21 victory in Miami in Week 4. He’s 7-0 overall in games in which he has played against New York — including his NFL debut in 2020, when he replaced starter Ryan Fitzpatrick late in a win over the Jets.

But another opponent has proven even tougher for Tagovailoa: cold weather.

When the Dolphins (5-7) take on the Jets (3-9) on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, he’ll try to improve on his 0-7 career mark when the temperature at kickoff is 46 degrees or colder, according to the Palm Beach Post. The forecast calls for a high of 41, so Tagovailoa and the offense will need to warm up early.

“First things first, it’s going to be cold,” Tagovailoa said. “You kind of have that on the top of your mind. Outside of that, it’s a mentality, it’s a mindset. This is what we get paid to do — to play football, regardless of if it’s raining, it’s snowing, it’s sleeting, it’s hot, it’s cold. Regardless, we’ve got to go out there and play and do our jobs.”

Tagovailoa has two late-November victories on the road against the Jets in his career, but the temperatures were 54 degrees (in 2021) and 48 (in 2023) at kickoff in those games.

“Yeah, when you win, those are always great memories,” the quarterback said. “But this is a new year, new team, both sides of the ball. This is just all new. You’re not guaranteed a win because you won ‘X’ amount of times or whatnot. Got to go out there and we’ve got to prove it every time we go there.”

Things have changed even since the first time the then-struggling teams squared off in Week 4. The Dolphins, who fired general manager Chris Grier on Oct. 31, have won three straight and four of their past five after opening the season 1-6 — Miami’s worst start under coach Mike McDaniel.

Meanwhile, the Jets opened 0-7 under first-year coach Aaron Glenn, but have won three of their past five to add a sense of optimism to what will be the 15th straight year without the playoffs if New York loses Sunday.

“I’m not happy about the record at all,” Glenn said, ”but I am happy about the way that we’re trending in certain areas.”

Off-target Tua

The decline in Miami’s efficiency in the passing game is in part tied to Tagovailoa’s struggles.

He completed 12 of 23 passes for 157 yards against New Orleans last week and currently has the worst passer rating (85.9) of his career.

He missed several targets and threw an interception on a ball he floated into double coverage, which he noted was a poor decision. Tagovailoa has pointed to his footwork and lack of conviction in his throws as issues that need to be improved.

“Just bringing my feet with my eyes,” he said, “because I could be faced this way and I’m just bringing my eyes. I can’t really throw it like that.”

INT drought

The Jets still have no interceptions this season, an NFL record for a team through its first 12 games.

It’s a statistical oddity that has become a frequent topic of conversation among the players and coaches in defensive meetings.

“It’s really puzzling, it really is,” Glenn said. “But, listen, we’re not going to hang our heads. We’re going to continue to fight to try to see if we can get them.”

The fewest for an entire season is two by San Francisco in 16 games in 2018. The team’s most recent interception was by Ashtyn Davis, who had two in last season’s finale against Miami. Davis can’t help this year: He’s now on the Dolphins.

Brooks’ impact

Linebacker Jordyn Brooks is quietly having one of the best defensive seasons in Dolphins history.

He leads the NFL with 137 total tackles — 22 more than Washington’s Bobby Wagner — and is one of two players in the league with at least 100 tackles, multiple sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

“Absolute stud,” Miami defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said. “I hope he starts to get some of the credit he deserves. He’s one of the top two, three linebackers in the league, and I wish we had more wins so that the rest of the world would see that.”

Brooks has 280 tackles since joining the Dolphins last season, the second most by a player in his first two seasons with the team since 1994 when solo tackles began to be recorded. Only Hall of Famer Zach Thomas has more.

Still got it

When Tyrod Taylor replaced Justin Fields as the Jets’ starting quarterback, many assumed New York’s offense would miss Fields’ ability to make plays with his legs.

Well, the 36-year-old Taylor is keeping the ground game rolling. He ran for 44 yards and a touchdown on eight carries against Atlanta. One of his runs was a 14-yard scramble to jumpstart the winning drive — showing he still has good mobility.

“Oh, I heard that on the sideline when I came to the sideline,” Taylor said with a laugh. “I told them, ‘Not too much now, not too much.’”

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AP Sports Writer Alanis Thames contributed to this report.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Dennis Waszak Jr., The Associated Press