A year ago, Miami was the talk of the National Football League.

With a high-flying offense that led the NFL in yards per game (401.3) and yards per rushing attempt (5.1), along with scoring 29.2 points per outing (second in the NFL), the Dolphins were motoring toward a potentially deep postseason run.

Of course, that run got cut short early, as they lost 26-7 in frigid conditions to eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City. But there was no indication that 2024 would be any different for the Dolphins, and expectations were skyrocketing.

So what happened?

The most convenient answer about Miami’s collapse is at the feet — or head — of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The veteran made it through 2023 with an NFL-best 4,624 passing yards, becoming the first Dolphins player to lead the league since Dan Marino in 1992, and was poised to run it back in 2024.

That’s part of the reason the team bestowed upon Tagovailoa a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension ($167.2 million of which is guaranteed) during the offseason — figuring their star QB would only continue improving and help Miami’s offense improve apace.

But that momentum was cut short in Week 2, when Tagovailoa sustained a concussion that put him on injured reserve for five weeks; an injury that marked the 26-year-old Tagovailoa’s third documented concussion as a pro and reignited a national conversation about his health and professional future.

To say Miami’s offense struggled without Tagovailoa would be a massive understatement. The Dolphins won just once in four games (defeating lowly New England 15-10 in Week 5) and scored only three touchdowns in that span. Neither backup quarterback — Skylar Thompson nor Tyler Huntley — could wrap their brains around the intricacies of coach Mike McDaniel’s offense, and the Raheem Mostert/De’Von Achane running game that dominated 2023 virtually evaporated.

When Tagovailoa returned to action on Oct. 27, the Dolphins were in a 2-4 hole. But Miami’s sweet Hawaiian prince wasn’t a savior, alas, as the team promptly lost back-to-back heartbreakers to fall to 2-6. That left almost no breathing room if Miami wanted to return to the playoffs.

Rattling off three straight wins helped right the ship, but a desultory 30-17 Thanksgiving night loss to Green Bay meant Miami could lose no more if it wanted to qualify for the postseason. And two weeks later, that hope fully dried up in a 20-12 Week 15 loss at Houston.

Even though quarterback is unquestionably the focal point of not only an offense but an entire football team, no QB alone can make or break a program. And while it is certainly debatable that Miami shouldn’t have invested between 15-20% of its salary cap space on a player with multiple documented concussion issues, Tagovailoa played the entire 2023 season without a scratch on him before sustaining his Week 2 injury this season.

Still, the quarterback must distribute the ball — and Miami’s distribution options have also been limited all season. Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle has topped 100 receiving yards just twice so far in 2024, and fellow wideout Tyreek Hill (who will earn a team-high $18.3 million in 2024) had almost half as many receiving yards this season compared to 2023.

Hill and Waddle have been banged up this season. Hill played through a wrist injury that he said would eventually require surgery, and Waddle injured his right knee during Miami’s Week 15 loss to the Texans that sealed their postseason fate. Wide receiver Braxton Berrios tore his ACL in Week 7; linebacker Jaelan Phillips went on injured reserve with a knee injury in Week 9; and once-superstar receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was waived after Week 14 following just nine weeks of mediocre contributions.

There is no single reason the Miami Dolphins missed the playoffs this year for the first time in three seasons. Some blame must go to both McDaniel and his bulky offensive sets, and to general manager Chris Grier for assembling a squad that feels like it has underachieved from the preseason to the present.

What does next season have in store for the Dolphins? Hill, Tagovailoa’s favorite weapon, might get traded away — and many more changes are inevitably in store on both sides of the ball. But it is clear that 2024 was a gigantic missed opportunity.

Wasson airs weekdays from 3-5 p.m. on Southwest Florida’s Fox Sports Radio (105.9 FM in Collier County) and streaming on FoxSportsFM.com.