Dolphins fans believe Tua Tagovailoa's jiujitsu lessons finally paid off after fresh footage: "That s**t is helping big time!" 

Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins are enjoying a spectacular season. They are currently 8-3 and 2.5 games clear at the top of the AFC East standings. If all goes well in the team's final six games of the season, the Dolphins will end their 15-year wait for a division title and a home playoff game. That would also give them the chance to end their 23-year wait for a home playoff game win.

The key to the Dolphins' success this season has been Tagovailoa's health. He suffered two concussions last year and missed four regular season games and also sat out of the team's 34-31 Wildcard round loss to the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs.

The quarterback suffered both head injuries after his head bounced off the ground after getting sacked. To learn how to control his body momentum while being tackled, the quarterback added jiu-jitsu to his training regime and it has worked wonders. The first instance of Tagovailoa's training paying dividends was seen in the Dolphins' preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars:

The quarterback showcased another example of his jiu-jitsu training working wonders when he was sacked against the Jets. Tagovailoa showcased excellent body control to ensure his head doesn't smash hard into the turf causing any potential harm:

Dolphins fans on social media lauded Tagovailoa for taking steps to learn how to protect himself. Here are some of the comments on social media:

Can Tua Tagovailoa win the MVP award?

Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa

Tua Tagovailoa's offseason efforts have helped him elevate his game to an MVP candidate level. Through Week 12, the quarterback has the fourth-most passing yards in the league (3,177) behind Sam Howell (3,339), C.J. Stroud (3,266), and Josh Allen (3,214). Howell and Allen have played a game more than Tagovailoa.

The Dolphins quarterback has thrown the third-most passing touchdowns (22) behind Allen (24) and Dak Prescott (23). Among quarterbacks with at least 10 starts, only Brock Purdy (112.3) and Prescott (107.4) have a better passer rating than Tagovailoa (103.7).

By every metric, the Dolphins' young signal-caller is an MVP-caliber player. He currently has the fourth-best odds behind Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson in the race for the NFL MVP award.

If Tagovailoa and the Dolphins finish the regular season strong, the quarterback could join Dan Marino in winning the MVP award while playing for the franchise.