Things are a bit different for Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who started his first career playoff game over the weekend. For the Alabama product, questions have hung over his entire pro career.

Early on, those questions involved Tagovailoa's ability to even be a high-level starter. He was in and out of the lineup over his first two seasons and didn't really take off until Miami hired head coach Mike McDaniel and traded for receiver Tyreek Hill.

Those additions unlocked Tagovailoa as a top-tier distributor. With schemes that broke receivers open and plenty of speed on the field, Tagovailoa's vision and accuracy allowed him to succeed. However, injuries—notably a series of concussions—raided more concerns.

This past season, the 25-year-old managed to stay healthy, and he rewarded the Dolphins with a career year and a playoff berth. Tagovailoa led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards and, like Prescott, was once a viable MVP candidate.

However, the Dolphins faded down the stretch, losing three of their final five regular-season games before falling 26-7 to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card Round. Miami also had a 1-5 record in the regular season against teams that finished above .500.

Two big concerns loom over Tagovailoa now—his ability to beat quality opponents and his ability to create big plays when stars like Hill and Jaylen Waddle aren't at 100 percent. He's been fantastic when things are on schedule and merely average when they're not.

After watching dynamic quarterbacks like Love, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes continually make jaw-dropping plays over the weekend, it's hard to consider Tagovailoa an elite quarterback. Yet he's due to be paid like one.

Tagovailoa is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and fellow 2020 draft-mates Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert have already gotten paid. Both are making north of $52 million annually, and given the next-man-up nature of QB contracts, an extension for Tagovailoa probably wouldn't fall very short of that.

General manager Chris Grier has said that "the goal" is to keep Tagovailoa in Miami long-term (h/t NFL.com's Kevin Patra). Before the Dolphins commit to that, though, they may want to ensure that their quarterback can stay on the field, beat playoff-caliber opponents, elevate the talent around him and start putting wins in the postseason record books.

In other words, 2024 could be a make-or-break year for Tagovailoa.