- Fitzpatrick to remain Dolphins’ starter in Week 5 vs. San Francisco
- Fitzpatrick has struggled, but Tagovailoa will remain sidelined
- Dolpins open as eight-point underdogs vs. 49ers
The Miami Dolphins announced Tuesday that veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick will remain in the team’s starting role in Week 5 against the San Francisco 49ers. The news comes on the heels of Miami’s 31-23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. The defeat dropped the Dolphins to 1-3 on the season, and calls for rookie Tua Tagovailoa to get a chance grew louder after Miami scored just one touchdown in the game.
Ryan Fitzpatrick will be the starter for Week 5 against the 49ers. pic.twitter.com/DxbiFbwxgD
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) October 6, 2020
Through four games, the 37-year-old Fitzpatrick has completed 69 percent of his throws for 994 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions. He scored Miami’s lone touchdown of Sunday’s game with a run late in the fourth quarter, but he was picked off twice before that.
Tua’s Time Coming?
Fitzpatrick began the year as the unquestioned starter for the Dolphins, but his up-and-down play through the first quarter of the season has made his status more tenuous. While Fitzpatrick will remain under center against the 49ers this week, it’s only a matter of time until Tagovailoa gets his chance.
The Dolphins took Tagovailoa with the No. 5 overall pick in April’s draft. The Alabama product may well have been the top overall pick had he not suffered a season-ending hip injury that required surgery last November. Tagovailoa has been active as Fitzpatrick’s backup in every game so far this season, but he has yet to see the field.
Dolphins offensive coordinator Chan Gailey took the brunt of the blame for the team’s lack of red-zone production against the Seahawks. Gailey has gone on record in support of Fitzpatrick with the belief that he should be the team’s starter moving forward.
Dolphins Concerned About Tagovailoa’s Preparedness
Without any preseason games, Gailey is concerned that throwing Tagovailoa right into the fire could have negative long-term ramifications. Gailey said that Tua will be “wide-eyed” when he finally does get into his first NFL game, but he admitted that the Dolphins will adjust their game plan to fit what Tagovailoa is comfortable with once his time does come.
Dolphins head coach Brian Flores has said that Tagovailoa is fully recovered from his hip injury and that he has passed any and all medical tests in recent weeks. Calls for Tagovailoa to get a chance have been amplified after the early-season success of fellow rookie QBs Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert.
Flores has said that he will not be pressured into benching Fitzpatrick and starting Tagovailoa, so the decision to keep Fitzpatrick in the starting job, for now, doesn’t come as a huge surprise.
The 49ers opened as eight-point favorites over the Dolphins for next Sunday’s game in Northern California. The Niners were handed their second loss of the season on Sunday night, and San Francisco may be shorthanded again this week. Jimmy Garoppolo, Raheem Mostert, and Tevin Coleman are likely to sit out once again due to injuries.
Following their 1-3 start, the Dolphins have dropped to +4000 to win the AFC East this season.
Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith has been a staff writer with GamblingSites.org since early 2017. Taylor is primarily a sports writer, though he will occasionally dabble in other things like politics and entertainment betting. His primary specialties are writing about the NBA, Major League Baseball, NFL and domestic and international soccer. Fringe sports like golf and horse racing aren’t exactly his cup of tea, bu …
