MIAMI — It was either a moment of denial, misinterpretation or naivete.

At least that’s what I’m trying to convince myself, attempting to explain Tua Tagovailoa’s reaction to my question about why the Miami Dolphins’ starting quarterback’s turnovers tend to come in bunches during his six NFL seasons.

Tagovailoa has delivered three consecutive seasons with a 100-plus passer rating, which proves he’s one of the NFL’s most accurate, and consistent starting quarterbacks when healthy. A fourth season straight season with a 100-plus passer rating will put him in a quarterback club only Aaron Rodgers and Steve Young are members of.

But when a turnover does happen in a Tagovailoa-played game, they tend to happen multiple times in that same contest, and that was the case during Sunday’s 33-8 season-opening loss to the Indianapolis Colts, which was a chin check to a franchise fighting to avoid an organizational reset.

“I wouldn’t say I’m pressing. It’s part of the game,” said Tagovailoa, whose 51.7 passer rating against the Colts was the second worst of his career.

That performance only trails the 40.6 passer rating he produced in a loss to Buffalo in 2020, a game he didn’t finish.

Tagovailoa then followed up his initial response by informing me, and everyone watching the news conference that “I thought that was a wild comment, that I turn the ball over in bunches. That’s crazy.”

But it’s accurate!

This was the seventh time Tagovailoa has committed at least three turnovers since 2020 according to ESPN Research, and only one quarterback (Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence) has more in that span, with eight.

Tagovailoa lost a fumble and threw multiple interceptions for the fourth time in his career, and this is the second time in his past three starts he’s done it, which includes last year’s humbling loss to the Houston Texans.

Throughout Tagovailoa’s six-year career, which spans 62 starts and 64 games played, he has 13 games where he has committed one turnover, and 18 games where he’s committed multiple turnovers.

The Dolphins have a 14-10 record in games where Tagovailoa commits more than one turnover, which includes fumbles.

Sunday’s performance against the Colts was the seventh game of his career where he had committed three turnovers.

“The throw I sailed on Tyreek, I maybe hung on [to] it a little longer [than I should]. My feet were telling me [go to] the [next] progression,” Tagovailoa said about his first turnover, a high pass to Tyreek Hill that Colts free safety Camryn Bynum plucked out of the air at Indianapolis’ 17-yard line and returned it 14 yards to begin Indianapolis’ second drive, which ended with a Michael Pittman Jr. touchdown that put the Colts up 10-0. “I had Jaylen [Waddle open] on that throw instead of hanging there.”

Miami’s next drive ended after two plays when Colts nickel cornerback Kenny Moore II blind sided Tagovailoa for a sack fumble as a free blitzer coming from the right side, Tagovailoa’s blind side.

The Dolphins’ offensive line failed to make a protection adjustment. Left tackle Patrick Paul and left guard Jonah Savaiinaea ended up blocking the same defender, tight end Tanner Conner went out for his route and Austin Jackson was late picking up Moore’s blitz.

Former Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard picked up the loose ball at Miami’s 42-yard line and the Colts scored a touchdown five plays later, going up 17-0 with 12 minutes left in the second quarter.

From there, the snowball of negative plays picked up steam, which explains why the Dolphins finished the game with 211 yards.

Tagovailoa’s third turnover occurred on Miami’s first drive of the second half when a short pass over the middle of the field was intercepted by Colts defensive lineman Laiatu Latu, who dropped back into coverage on Miami’s offense while a three Colts rushers came after Tagovailoa.

The Colts flooded the middle of the field hoping Tagovailoa would gift them the ball trying to covert the first down.

Tagovailoa slid to his right to buy time and was targeting slot receiver Malik Washington on the third-and-3 pass Latu jumped in front of.

The Colts kicked a field goal seven plays later to go up 23-0 with 7:30 left in the third quarter.

From that point Miami’s offense became pass-centric, running the ball three times the rest of the snaps Tagovailoa was on the field, before getting replaced by Zach Wilson in Miami’s final possession.

“As an offense, we’ve got to get going,” Tagovailoa said, referring to Miami’s turnover stalled drives. “Once you get in that groove and rhythm, things start happening for us. We couldn’t find that.”

And mainly because they couldn’t take care of the ball, which happens to be Tagovailoa’s strength as a quarterback.

When asked to evaluate Tagovailoa’s performance, coach Mike McDaniel acknowledged it wasn’t one of his quarterback’s better showings.

“I think it’s definitely not all on him. There’s just throws that I know he makes nine times out of 10, and he didn’t make them,” McDaniel said. “But that being said, it’s hard to play quarterback when you have surprise pressures, they are blitzing, and you think it’s accounted for, and then somebody doesn’t pick it up.”

It’s also hard to win games when your starting quarterback keeps gifting wrapping multiple possessions to the opponent, and more importantly, has little to no awareness he turns the ball over in bunches.

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