Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa wins season’s first AFC Offensive Player of the Week

Tua Tagovailoa’s electric performance Sunday has earned him a league honor to open the season.

The Miami Dolphins quarterback was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week, as announced by the NFL on Wednesday morning for his 466 passing yards and three touchdowns in an exhilarating 36-34 win over the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.

It’s the second time in Tagovailoa’s career he has earned the honor. The other was his 2022 Week 2 explosion of 469 yards and six passing touchdowns in a 21-point comeback at the Baltimore Ravens.

Tagovailoa leads the NFL in passing yards (466, which is 122 more than next best, Vikings’ Kirk Cousins) and yards per attempt (10.4) after one week. He was one of three quarterbacks in the league to throw three touchdowns (Patriots’ Mac Jones, Packers’ Jordan Love) and his 110 passer rating ranks fourth.

All that Tagovailoa did Sunday came in his first regular-season action since he was last seen throwing three fourth-quarter interceptions in a Christmas loss to Green Bay where it was later determined he was playing with a concussion. He entered concussion protocol Dec. 26 and missed the rest of the season.

Tagovailoa’s best competition for the award at the Week 1 conclusion may have been his own teammate, wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who caught two of his touchdown passes, including the game-winner, and had 11 receptions for 215 yards.

In addition to last year’s one league weekly honor, Tagovailoa was also the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week three times last season.

This story will be updated.