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Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa may have missed his last two starts and four starts overall, but he held on to his NFL lead in quarterback rating as the 2022 regular season concluded Sunday.
Tagovailoa finished with a 105.5 passer rating, edging Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (105.2).
Tagovailoa, whose status is unclear for Sunday’s wild card playoff game at the Buffalo Bills, threw 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions in his third NFL season. He completed 64.8 percent of his passes in throwing for 3,548 yards. His 8.9 yards per attempt also led the league. In more advanced metrics, he had the top completion percentage on throws of 15-plus yards through the air, successful on 56.1 percent of such passes.
Tagovailoa was not an initial Pro Bowl selection in 2022, but he is a first alternate behind fellow AFC quarterbacks in Mahomes, the Bills’ Josh Allen and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals.
He did it with two wide receivers finishing in the top seven of the league in receiving yards. Tyreek Hill, with 1,710 yards, was second to the Minnesota Vikings’ Justin Jefferson (1,809). His 119 receptions were also second to Jefferson (128).
Hill earned his seventh Pro Bowl in seven professional seasons, his previous six all with the Chiefs. He set career highs in receptions and receiving yards in his first season in Miami.
Second-year standout receiver Jaylen Waddle just missed a first Pro Bowl selection, although he is a first alternate, but he finished seventh with 1,356 yards. His 18.1 yards per catch led the NFL.
The Hill-Waddle duo (3,066 yards) became the fourth pair of teammates to combine for 3,000 receiving yards in a season, joining the Detroit Lions’ Herman Moore and Brett Berriman (3,174 in 1995), St. Louis Rams’ Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce (3,106 in 2000) and Denver Broncos’ Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders (3,023 in 2014).
Hill set a Dolphins record with his 1,710 yards, besting Mark Clayton’s 1984 mark of 1,389, and Waddle finished just below Clayton.
Miami defensive tackle Christian Wilkins finished the season with 98 tackles, most by any NFL defensive lineman since 1994. It also topped Jeff Cross’ franchise record for tackles by a defensive lineman (93 in 1993). Linebackers Elandon Roberts (107) and Jerome Baker (100) each finished with triple-digit tackle totals.
Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert split time in the backfield with Jeff Wilson in the second half of the season and Chase Edmonds in the first half of the year, but his 891 rushing yards were still good for 20th in the NFL. His 4.9 yards per carry ranked in a big tie for 11th in the league with just six running backs — plus four quarterbacks — finishing with a better clip.
Concluding the regular season 9-8, the Dolphins completed a third consecutive regular season with a winning record. The last time the franchise had such a stretch was from 2001 to 2003.
This story will be updated with news later Monday.
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