MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The NFL announced that Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for his performance in September.
Tagovailoa becomes the first Dolphins player to win AFC Offensive Player of the Month in 30 years, when quarterback Scott Mitchell last earned the honor in October 1993. He's just the third different Dolphin to win the award, joining Mitchell and quarterback Dan Marino, who won it in November 1986 and October 1988.
Tagovailoa finished September completing 72-of-104 passes (71.3 pct.) for 1,024 yards, eight touchdowns, two interceptions and a 121.9 passer rating. He leads the league in passer rating (121.9) and yards per attempt (10.1). In fact, his 10.1 yards per attempt is a full two yards better than any other player in the league through Week 3.
Tagovailoa currently ranks second in the NFL and first in the AFC in passing yards (1,024) and passing touchdowns (eight). He has been sacked just one time in three games, tied for the best mark in the league. His 1,024 passing yards are the most in franchise history through the first three games of a season and his 10.1 yards per attempt are the fifth-most in the NFL in the past decade through a team's first three games.
As Miami's signal-caller, Tagovailoa has led the team to a 3-0 start for the second consecutive season, something the Dolphins haven't done since 1994-96. The Dolphins offense has more points scored (130) and total yards (1,651) than any NFL team has accrued through the first three games of a season since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. He also helped the Dolphins set franchise records for points (70) and total yards (726) in the team's Week 3 win vs. Denver as Miami's 70 points were the most scored by any NFL team since 1966.
The Dolphins have now had a Player of the Month Award in each of the past five seasons. Linebacker Melvin Ingram was AFC Defensive Player of the Month in September 2022. Linebacker Jerome Baker earned AFC Defensive Player of the Month in December 2021. Kicker Jason Sanders won three AFC Special Teams Player of the Month awards in October and November 2020 and in December 2019.
