The Miami Dolphins’ playoff hopes dwindled considerably in Week 13 of the NFL’s 2024 season. And Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa figures he’s to blame.

Not because of the way he played in the Dolphins’ 30-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers – Tagovailoa threw for 365 yards and two touchdowns – but because of a decision he made way back in a Week 2 game against the Buffalo Bills.

“Nobody else will say it but me,” Tagovailoa said, “and I feel like this has a lot to do with myself obviously putting myself in harm’s way in the second game, going down –basically leaving my guys out to dry, that’s what I would say. Anyone can have an opinion about, ‘It’s football. It’s this, it’s that.’ I do take heart to that as well and still don’t want to do that to my guys again.”

On Sept. 12 against the Buffalo Bills, Tagovailoa scrambled for a first down on a fourth-and-4 snap in the third quarter. But the former Alabama All-American didn’t slide to pick up the needed yardage. Tagovailoa was tackled by Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin, and the quarterback did not get up after the play.

Eventually, Tagovailoa walked off the field. But he went to the locker room, and he didn’t play again until Oct. 27.

While a concussion kept Tagovailoa on the sidelines, the Miami offense scored three touchdowns and the Dolphins won one of the four games the quarterback missed.

While Miami lost to the Packers, the two teams immediately ahead the Dolphins in the AFC postseason standings won, with the Denver Broncos beating the Cleveland Browns 41-32 and the Indianapolis Colts edging the New England Patriots 25-24.

The Broncos are in the final spot in the AFC playoff standings at 8-5, with the Colts at 6-7 and the Dolphins at 5-7.

Last season at this point, Miami had a 9-3 record and was headed to the playoffs.

“Very surprised,” Tagovailoa said on Wednesday when asked about the four-game difference between seasons. “I don’t think that shows the character of who we are as a team. It doesn’t show the work that we’ve put in this offseason together.”

The Broncos and Colts have an open date this week while the Dolphins play the New York Jets. Denver and Indianapolis return to action on Dec. 15 against each other.

The Colts then finish the regular season against three of the worst teams in the NFL – the Tennessee Titans, New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars. The Broncos will have a considerably tougher closing schedule with the Los Angeles Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs left to play.

After the Jets on Sunday, Miami have the Houston Texans, San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns and Jets again on its regular-season schedule.

When New York and Miami meet at noon CST Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, it will be the first time the opposing quarterbacks in the AFC East rivalry have been Aaron Rodgers and Tagovailoa.

Green Bay defeated the Dolphins 25-20 on Dec. 25, 2022, with Rodgers at quarterback. But in his first season with the Jets, an injury kept Rodgers from playing against Miami in 2023.

“I would say, first off, a lot of respect to Aaron and what he’s done throughout the course of his years playing at Green Bay,” Tagovailoa said. “Obviously, we got to play against him two years ago, and he’s a Hall of Famer. Whether he looks like the same way he did in years past or not, you’re just going up against greatness regardless. The mindset that he has and to be able to still play at his age is really remarkable, and I’ve got a lot of respect for his game with how he goes about his business and how he does his things. I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”

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