DAVIE, Fla. -- The switch came on at halftime.

After another half of lackluster offense without much rhythm or scoring, Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Chan Gailey made the call for more no-huddle offense, in an attempt to get rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to play more free.

It worked.

Tagovailoa put together arguably his best quarter as a pro in the third quarter of Sunday's 19-7 win against the Cincinnati Bengals. He appeared more comfortable within the offense, more confident in making quick decisions and more effective maximizing his playmakers' skill set with tight-window throws.

"I'd say the only thing that was different was our tempo. We just got on the ball, and then we played," said Tagovailoa after throwing for a career-high 296 yards -- a number that could have been even better without a dropped 50-yard deep ball by Jakeem Grant. "The reason we did that was it confuses the defense not to get into their calls that they want to get into, whether it's a pressure call or a coverage call. So that was our only adjustment. We've just got to play football. That was it."

A taste of that up-tempo Tagovailoa -- the one that went 13-of-16 for 167 yards and a touchdown in the third quarter -- proves the Dolphins found something good there. An increase in empty packages also proved effective for Tagovailoa in a bounce-back performance Sunday. For continued development from the rookie, more no-huddle and empty packages seem to be an important key.

"It worked for us. We were able to kind of catch them in some personnels and some calls that they weren't ready for, but ultimately, that goes back up to coaching, and they did a great job getting calls in quick, and the offensive line did a great job getting Tua time," Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki said. "And Tua just went out there and threw it to the open guy."

Before Sunday, Tagovailoa had not used much tempo outside of two-minute and end-of-game situations. Gailey has said he's not a huge fan of no-huddle because it's a limited package and he worries going quick often handcuffs his quarterback's ability to dissect a pre-snap defense, but after he saw Tagovailoa's success with it Sunday, he noted "you got to be flexible" and "do different things to move the football, and if up-tempo is one of those things, then we're going to use that to help us."

After playing somewhat frantically in the Dolphins' 20-13 loss to the Denver Broncos, a game when he was benched by coach Brian Flores for poor play, Tagovailoa looked completely in control in the second half Sunday once the team went to more no-huddle and empty packages.

"We will continue to use it. How much, I think it will depend on the game and the situation. We felt like that would help us in the second half of that game, and obviously it did," Gailey said. “It was obviously good for him and for us. So it will be a part of what we do. I'm pretty sure, from here on out."

"The challenges are [Tagovailoa] doesn't get as much time to see what's happening. The benefits are the defense doesn't get as much time to see what's happening. You've got to decide the trade-off."

The stat that stands out is Tagovailoa on average took 2.38 seconds to throw Sunday, the second-fastest in Week 13 behind Colts quarterback Philip Rivers. Coming into the game he was a tad slower, averaging 2.6 seconds per throw, 11th fastest. Tagovailoa also went 4-of-6 for 86 yards on passes deeper than 10 yards in the second half compared to 0-for-5 in the first half.

"When you're on the ball and you're going fast, it confuses the defense because they need to get lined up. They can't get their right call in at times," Tagovailoa said. "Then when you have guys motioning, it confuses up their call, if they have a blitz on or what coverage they're going to run. So the up-tempo things that we did in the second half really helped us to get the ball rolling."

The other element was the decision to use more empty packages -- meaning no running backs in the backfield. Before Sunday's game, 10 of Tagovailoa's 97 pass attempts were in empty package (he went 8-of-10 for 52 yards and a touchdown). During Sunday's game, 10 of Tagovailoa's 39 pass attempts were in empty package (he went 9-of-10 for 106 yards).

Tagovailoa's 85% completion rate in empty packages, admittedly with a small sample, is his best among all traditional packages.

"[Empty] defines rushers. People have to go out and cover those guys, so it defines who is rushing," Gailey said. "We feel like it gives him an opportunity to see where the rushers are coming from and see where the matchups we like are more distinctly."

One play Sunday that defined this came early in the third quarter. It came in the no-huddle, empty package with running back Myles Gaskin playing outside receiver, the offensive line protected well with Tagovailoa rolling out to his left as play developed into a scramble drill and he hit Gaskin for a 35-yard reception that set up the team's first touchdown. Tagovailoa showed great feel, comfort and patience in the huddle, which Gaskin described as a "nice change-up."

"They sped it up a little more in the second half," Bengals safety Jessie Bates III said. "In the first half, we stopped the run and eliminated the explosive plays. And then in the second half, they got us on our heels when they went hurry-up and that empty formation they continually go into, they kind of got us backed up. They were moving the ball pretty well."

Now, the difficult part for the Dolphins is to balance these successful packages with other elements of the offense. As the Dolphins prepare to face the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS), Flores made clear they would adjust the game plan.

"If we can turn on the tape and see someone else running no huddle against Kansas City and they are getting stoned every play, in that case we wouldn't do it," Flores said. "I don't think that's an every-week thing. It's more something you can go to in the offense."

There are elements of Gailey's offense, such as the run-pass options, two tight end play-action game and base packages that can be fruitful, but they haven't consistently worked with the rookie quarterback. Tagovailoa admitted Gailey "put us in a good situation" in the first half, but "everyone was clicking on offense except me." That self-awareness is why Tagovailoa is sure to grow here, but for now, all involved might benefit by maximizing what he's doing best -- more no-huddle and empty packages.