The speed with which Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been delivering the football this season has drawn comparisons to former Dolphins QB Dan Marino, whose quick release was a hallmark of his Hall of Fame ability.

But the parallels between the current Miami signal-caller and the franchise legend go beyond that this season.

In the first season that Marino started every game for the Dolphins, Miami led the NFL with averages of 32.1 points and 433.5 yards per game in 1984. The league averages for that season were 21.2 points and 329.8 yards per game.

In 2023, Tagovailoa has started all nine Miami games. In each of his previous three seasons, the former Alabama All-American had missed at least two games by this point.

The Dolphins lead the NFL with averages of 31.7 points and 435.3 yards per game in 2023. The league averages for this season are 21.8 points and 332.1 yards per game.

Tagovailoa said he has benefited from having Marino attend Miami’s quarterback meetings.

“I’ve been able to gain some wisdom from Dan when he’s in our meeting room,” Tagovailoa said this week. “We ask questions — not just me. How would you read this? How would you look at this? Dan gives his insight. The cool thing with Dan, Dan is very blunt.

“Dan always tells me the same thing, and it’s the same thing he’s told me since I was a rookie. ‘Pick a guy and let it fly.’”

Marino won the NFL Most Valuable Player awards presented by The Associated Press and the Pro Football Writers Association for the 1984 season.

If Tagovailoa and the Dolphins can duplicate the first half of the 2023 season in its second half, then the Miami QB likely will be one of the leading contenders for the MVP Award.

But Tagovailoa would like to emulate Marino and the 1984 Dolphins in a different way. Miami won the AFC championship that season to earn a spot in Super Bowl XIX. Tagovailoa is aiming to play in Super Bowl LVIII as the quarterback of the AFC championship team.

“Brother, I just want to help our team win the Super Bowl,” Tagovailoa said when asked about his MVP candidacy. “I think that would be the greatest deal. When everything is said and done, no one can take that away from you.”

The Dolphins return to the field on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders after having their open date last week. But Miami strengthened its hold on the top of the AFC East standings even while on its bye. All three of its division rivals lost in Week 10 of the NFL’s 2023 season.

RELATED: TUA TAGOVAILOA RETURNS FROM NFL BYE WITH NEW LOOK

“It’s important for all of us to win our division,” Tagovailoa said. “In order for us to win our division, we have to start with this upcoming game. We can’t worry about what happened with anybody else in our division. We have to look forward, and our next opponent is the Raiders. It’s one of those things where we’re all in this together. We all have to be in this together in order for this thing to go where we know it can go and where we want it to go.”

At 6-3, the Dolphins lead the 5-5 Buffalo Bills, 4-5 New York Jets and 2-8 New England Patriots. The division title would ensure Miami a home game to open the AFC playoffs.

Tagovailoa has played in 45 NFL games. In the 23 he’s played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, the Dolphins have a 19-4 record. In the 22 away games in Tagovailoa’s career, Miami is 10-12.

“For one, it’s our home,” Tagovailoa said when asked about the Dolphins’ home-field success. “We’ve been able to play there for a good amount of games. We understand what the grass is going to feel like. I know that sounds silly, but every little thing in the NFL has a game-changing difference in winning and losing and things like that.

“I also think just the fans that we have. The fans have gotten louder and louder over the years since I’ve been here. I do think that’s helped. But it’s always fun to be able to play in front of your hometown crowd.”

The Dolphins and Raiders kick off at noon CST Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium.

Las Vegas has a 5-5 record and has won its two games since firing coach Josh McDaniels, offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi and general manager Dave Ziegler.

“I think the thing they do really well is play together, obviously,” Tagovailoa said. “If you look at the past two games that they’ve played in, defensively, I mean they look really good. No. 98, Maxx Crosby, is all over the field. If you look at his film, no straggling from that guy. You can see why he’s talked about the way he’s talked about. I’ve got a lot of respect for him. I think that’s someone we’re going to need to keep our eye on. And they have good guys in the backfield.

“It’s not a team to sleep on, and we have to be ready for whatever they have to throw at us.”

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

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