Billy Buffalo
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- Mar 16, 2019
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FitzMagic will not be making a triumphant return to Buffalo next weekend. At least not initially.
After quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick helped the Dolphins to an improbable win over the Raiders with an involuntary no-look throw for the ages on Saturday night, coach Brian Flores told reporters that rookie Tua Tagovailoa will start the Week 17 game at Buffalo.
The Dolphins have a win-and-in mandate against the Bills. And Fitzpatrick would surely relish the chance to face one of the various teams for which he previously played with the season on the line.
Of course, Tua starting and Tua finishing represent two very different propositions. Flores hasn’t been shy about removing Tua from the game for Fitzpatrick, and it apparently hasn’t affected Tua’s confidence.
The Dolphins could need a similar bump from Fitzpatrick next weekend, or beyond. Flores has a knack for knowing when to flip the switch, and for knowing how to keep an in-game benching from messing with Tua.
Whether that will apply in 2021 is an issue for 2021, starting with the question of whether the Dolphins can or will keep Fitzpatrick for 2021. Regardless, Flores has the Dolphins on the brink of their first playoff berth since 2008, and Fitzpatrick helped deliver that reality with his stellar performance on Saturday night night, in a game that instantly rivals Ravens-Browns as one of the best in recent years.
As the saying goes, when you have two quarterbacks, you have none. For the Dolphins, they have two quarterbacks. Knowing when and where to switch from one to the other could dictate how far the 2020 Dolphins can go.