Tyreek Hill Trolls Las Vegas Raiders Coach Who Suggested Tua Retire | Miami New Times
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Dolphins Win and Tyreek Hill Trolls Raiders Coach Who Suggested Tua Retire

The win kept Miami's NFL postseason hopes in the figurative ICU as opposed to the morgue.
Image: Tua Tagovailoa #1 and Tyreek Hill #10 of the Miami Dolphins celebrate after their team's rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter of a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Hard Rock Stadium on November 17, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Tua and Tyreek share a moment as the Miami Dolphins continue to inch their way back into the 2024-25 NFL playoff hunt. Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images
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If Miami's decisive 34-19 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium was the ice cream, triumphing over a head coach who just a few weeks ago suggested the Dolphins' concussion-prone quarterback retire was the cherry on top.

The win inched the home team to 4-6 on the season, keeping Miami's postseason hopes in the figurative ICU as opposed to the morgue, where they seemed bound just a few weeks ago when Tua Tagovailoa was shelved yet again as he recovered from another concussion. But the win carried an extra layer of satisfaction owing to the presence of opposing head coach Antonio Pierce, who raised eyebrows at the time with unsolicited comments in which he recommended that Tagovailoa retire.

Ironically, the loss to the Dolphins sent the Raiders to 2-8 on the 2024-24 campaign, pushing Pierce to the brink of what might be a forced retirement from head coaching. 
Many around the league were asked about Tua's situation, but Pierce's comments stuck out. He suggested that Tagovailoa consider retiring after his third "official" concussion in the NFL, saying, "I'll be honest, I'd just let him retire. It's not worth it."

While it may be commonplace for talking heads on ESPN to spout this sort of take, an opponent's coach butting in tends to hit the wrong way. Sort of like giving your buddy's wife relationship advice. Even if you feel a certain way, it's usually best to keep your opinion to yourself and let them sort it out in couples therapy.

Which brings us to Sunday afternoon's game, in which Tua threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns against the Raiders, a performance that showed him to be very much not retired, Antonio Pierce's sympathetic counsel be damned.
Up by just five points with 3:28 remaining, Tagovailoa capitalized on a huge gaffe by the Raiders defense to connect with tight end Jonnu Smith for a 57-yard touchdown that effectively sealed the contest. And with the game in hand, it was time to provide some receipts to the Raiders head coach, courtesy of the Dolphins' troll captain, Tyreek Hill.

Never one to miss an opportunity to entertain (or to troll), Hill rubbed it in on the Raiders' sideline.
Now Tua and all those "In the Hunt" postseason graphics are back to including the Miami Dolphins logo. The win pushed the team to the ninth seed in the AFC playoff chase, one game behind the Indianapolis Colts at No. 8. Miami hosts New England next week — a winnable game that would boost the team's postseason chances leading up to a crucial Thanksgiving Day matchup in Green Bay against the Packers.

All in all, Sunday was a stunning turn of events from the team's position a mere two weeks ago, when the Dolphins languished at 2-6 with Tim Boyle under center.

None of it would have been possible had Tua Tagovailoa taken Antonio Pierce's advice. Perhaps needless to say, but you read it here anyway.