Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said it's tough to limit Tua Tagovailoa's runs, which resulted in several big hits to the quarterback in a Week 7 win.
Tagovailoa, who missed two games earlier this month due to a concussion, led the Dolphins to a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in Miami Gardens, Fla. He completed 21 of 35 passes for 261 yards and a score. He also logged four carries for 15 yards.
His first carry came midway through the first quarter. Tagovailoa faked a handoff to his left during a second-and-9 play from the Steelers' 11-yard line. He then ran right and lowered his shoulder, slamming his head into Steelers linebacker Devin Bush's right shoulder.
Tagovailoa shook off that hit. He scrambled again just before halftime, but slid to finish the run and didn't take a hit.
"You know, it's hard," McDaniel told reporters, when asked about Tagovailoa's early run. "Was I advising him to do that? I think no.
"I think immediately, the next series after the first time he did it, he was like, 'Coach, I'm sorry. I needed that.'"
Tagovailoa scrambled for a 7-yard gain late in the third quarter, lowering his right shoulder into Steelers defensive back Tre Norwood.
Tagovailoa, who sustained two hits to his head during two games over a four-day span last month, said he was knocked unconscious during the Dolphins' Sept. 29 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
He told reporters last week that he learned about protecting himself during his hiatus. He said he planned to "throw it away" if the play wasn't there, and that he would try not to "make something out of nothing."
He said his runs Sunday were results of specific, in-game situations.
"To me, there were close calls, where it's like, OK, maybe if I do just put my shoulder down, hopefully I can get forward progress with this," Tagovailoa said Sunday. "But that was all it was.
"I wasn't trying to be Superman or a superhero out there. I was just looking at the situation."
Tagovailoa appeared in 13 of 17 games last season. He was limited due to finger and rib injuries. The Dolphins quarterback completed 67.3% of his throws for 1,296 yards, nine scores and three interceptions though five games this season. Tagovailoa is 4-1 as a starter in 2022.
"It is football, and he's going to protect himself, and he's got that component to his game where he's a competitor and he's trying to get a first down for his team," McDaniel said.
"I'm never going to totally encourage that at all. I'm probably going to advise him to slide every time, but when push comes to shove and a guy has the ball in his hands, it's going to be tough to get him to completely turn it down, although I will try."
The Dolphins (4-3) will face the Detroit Lions (1-5) at 1 p.m. EDT Sunday in Detroit.
