Tua, Tyreek Hill shine in Dolphins’ season-opening win over Chargers

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — It went nothing like the Miami Dolphins’ last time visiting the Los Angeles Chargers.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa went from the pedestrian numbers he had in December’s embarrassing outing to totals that challenged his career high in yardage.

Coach Mike McDaniel found ways to get the offense going against Chargers coach Brandon Staley’s defensive game plan that shut Miami down last year.

All the while, the Dolphins’ usually stout run defense, so reliable all last season, was run over.

But Miami got the final stop to seal the victory after Tagovailoa combined with star receiver Tyreek Hill for their second touchdown connection.

The Dolphins topped the Chargers, 36-34, for a statement season-opening victory Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium.

Tagovailoa went 28 of 45 for 466 yards — three shy of his career best — three touchdowns and one interception. He is now 2-1 in his career against Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, who was 23 of 33 for 228 yards and a touchdown, plus another rushing score.

Hill had 215 yards on 11 receptions.

The Chargers did their work on the ground, compiling 234 rushing yards, with running back Austin Ekeler leading the way for 117 yards and Justin Kelley behind him with 91.

Tagovailoa found Hill for an over-the-shoulder 4-yard touchdown pass with 1:45 to play, but kicker Jason Sanders missed the extra point to only give Miami a 2-point advantage, 36-34. Facing third-and-10, Tagovailoa unloaded a deep ball to Hill for a sliding 47-yard catch. Then, he hit River Cracraft  to get Miami inside the 10 before the winning touchdown.

The Dolphins sealed it with Herbert backed up from an intentional-grounding penalty. Jaelan Phillips, playing in his hometown of Los Angeles, combined for the clinching sack with cornerback Justin Bethel.

Tagovailoa gave Miami a 27-24 lead deep into the third quarter when he and Hill combined for a perfect 35-yard scoring strike down the right sideline. Hill left Chargers cornerback J.C. Jackson, who intercepted Tagovailoa on the Dolphins’ previous offensive play, in the dust for the score that was followed by half a lap around the SoFi Stadium field saluting fans.

Los Angeles answered with both of its backs. Ekeler sparked the drive with a 35-yard reception left alone in the flat, and Kelley punched it in for a 2-yard touchdown.

Trailing, 31-27, the Dolphins got to within a point on a 45-yard field goal from Jason Sanders. With 3:53 to play, the Chargers got the 3 points back on a Cameron Dicker field goal.

The Chargers opened the second half with a touchdown drive that didn’t even involve a completion. Herbert snuck in the score after Ekeler marched them down the field on the ground.

Two pass interference penalties went against Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard in the red zone, setting up the Herbert touchdown plunge.

Miami did not answer immediately, as Tagovailoa was intercepted by Jackson, throwing to Braxton Berrios 1-on-1 in the end zone. But the Dolphins were set up with great field position for the quarterback’s strike to Hill after Kader Kohou sacked Herbert at the Chargers’ 1-yard line.

The Dolphins took a 20-17 halftime lead after Tagovailoa got them into field-goal range with 9 seconds left in the first half. First, he found Waddle, who ran out of bounds following a 22-yard pass to the sideline. Then, he drew a defensive pass interference against Jackson on a throw to Erik Ezukanma.

With the untimed down, Miami kicker Jason Sanders connected on a 41-yard field goal.

On his previous drive, Tagovailoa threw a touchdown to River Cracraft in the back of the end zone, as he had the option of an open Cracraft or open tight end Durham Smythe in front of him. McDaniel went for a fourth-and-7 from the Chargers’ 42-yard line on the possession, and Tagovailoa picked it up, finding Smythe open on an out pattern.

Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker tied the game at 17 with a 50-yard field goal 9 seconds before halftime. It preceded Miami’s two-play trek for the field goal before half.

Los Angeles went ahead, 14-10, earlier in the second quarter. Ekeler had an enormous hole up the middle for a 55-yard run where safety DeShon Elliott missed an open-field tackle. Elliott later gave up the 1-yard touchdown in coverage against tight end Donald Parham Jr.

The Chargers struck first with a 94-yard drive that saw 58 of them come on the ground and was capped by a 1-yard touchdown run from Ekeler. Herbert found Keenan Allen for a 36-yard completion on the series, where linebacker David Long Jr. ended up on the wide receiver.

The Dolphins responded immediately with Raheem Mostert scoring from 2 yards out. Tagovailoa found Berrios on a key third-and-long that was compounded by a Joey Bosa facemask penalty.

The Chargers’ opening score came after the Dolphins had a promising opening drive Sunday spoiled when an under-center snap from center Connor Williams to Tagovailoa was fumbled and recovered by Los Angeles defensive tackle Nick Williams. A 35-yard catch-and-run from Tagovailoa to Jaylen Waddle on a slant set Miami up in the red zone after two offensive plays.

The fumble was one of three instances where a snap was mishandled between Tagovailoa and Williams. The other two were recovered by Miami.

Miami led, 10-7, early in the second quarter when they settled for a short Jason Sanders field goal. After Tagovailoa and Hill had back-to-back completions to the deep middle, Hill had a play, originally ruled a catch at the pylon inside the 1-yard line, reversed upon review.

The Dolphins hit the road again in Week 2, facing the New England Patriots in an AFC East prime-time showdown in Foxborough before a home opener Sept. 24 against the Denver Broncos.

This story will be updated.