Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa didn’t get to finish Miami’s 2022 NFL season after he sustained his second concussion of the campaign, so the former Alabama All-American was grateful to be in the Dolphins’ lineup for the 2023 season-opener on Sunday.

“I was just really excited to be out there again,” Tagovailoa said. “I don’t think anything else relates to the adrenaline rush when you go out there. You got the fans, even when you’re warming up you can smell the popcorn, there’s just a lot of things that you just can’t really emulate. Being able to go out there with the guys, it was awesome, and I’m just very appreciative of the opportunity.”

And Tagovailoa did more than soak in the atmosphere at SoFi Stadium, too, as he completed 28-of-45 passes for 466 yards with three touchdowns and one interception in a 36-34 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Each of the TD passes moved Miami into the lead, and Tagovailoa had nine completions that gained at least 22 yards .

Tagovailoa’s 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tyreek Hill with 1:45 to play capped an eight-play, 75-yard drive, produced the fifth lead change of the game and provided the Dolphins’ winning margin.

“It was a situation where we needed to go down and we needed to score in order to give our team an opportunity to be in the lead,” Tagovailoa said. “I think our guys did a phenomenal job not losing their composure in the heat of the moment.”

Tagovailoa also threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver River Cracraft as Miami took a 17-14 lead with 1:42 left in the first half and a 35-yard touchdown pass to Hill as the Dolphins took a 27-24 lead with 2:12 left in the third quarter.

A former West Alabama standout, Hill had 11 receptions for 215 yards against the Chargers. Tagovailoa found Hill for a 47-yard gain on third-and-10 from the Miami 25-yard line during the Dolphins’ game-deciding drive.

“Tua’s a baller, bro,” Hill said. “I been saying this since last year. I’ve been an advocate for him, and he definitely showed it today. Even during halftime, he was able to come in, get guys going a little bit. And even on the sideline with me, he’s like, ‘Hey, Cheetah, let’s get it, baby.’ In big-time moments, big-time players make big-time plays.”

Hill produced the third 200-yard receiving game of his career. While with the Kansas City Chiefs, Hill had 13 receptions for 269 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov. 29, 2020, and 10 receptions for 215 yards and two touchdowns in a 54-51 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Nov. 19, 2018.

“You guys see what he can do,” Tagovailoa said about Hill. “For defenses, the problems that he can offer. His speed, for one. His ability to catch the ball … and he can turn a 2-yard route into a 20-yard route.”

Tagovailoa lost a fumble at the Los Angeles 2-yard line to end the Dolphins’ first drive of the game, and he got intercepted in the end zone on Miami’s first possession of the second half. Those two turnovers and a first-half punt were the only full possessions on which the Dolphins offense did not produce points.

“There were a lot of things that didn’t go right,” Tagovailoa said. “But no one blinked.”

Tagovailoa missed Miami’s final two regular-season games and a playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills after sustaining his second concussion of the 2022 campaign on Dec. 25.

Tagovailoa produced the fourth-most passing yards for an NFL player in a season-opening game on Sunday. The Los Angeles Rams’ Norm Van Brocklin had 554 yards in 1951, the New England Patriots’ Tom Brady had 517 in 2011 and the Dolphins’ Dan Marino had 473 in 1994.

Tagovailoa’s performance was the seventh 400-yard passing game for a former Alabama quarterback in the NFL as he came up 3 yards short of his career-high 469 yards in a 42-38 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 18, 2022.

Joe Namath had three 400-yard passing games, and Richard Todd had two.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.