In the first half of Sunday’s win over the Buffalo Bills, Tua Tagovailoa was on the receiving end of a late hit from Bills linebacker Matt Milano. The Miami Dolphins star quarterback was wobbly before falling on to the turf, leading to speculation that he might have suffered a concussion.
In surprising fashion, Tagovailoa returned to the field after clearing in-game concussion protocols. It led to the NFLPA opening an investigation into said protocols.
One day after Miami’s big win, first-year head coach Mike McDaniel noted that Tua is not in the concussion protocol. That’s the good news for fans in South Beach heading into Thursday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The bad news? Tagovailoa is dealing with issues to his back and ankle on a short week. It could potentially keep him out of the aforementioned game.
“These Thursday night games, you get used to just doing the best you can. And we’re trying to get information as fast as possible. We’ll be working fluidly from that. But right now, especially in a hard-fought game like that, not just Tua, but there’s a lot of players that we’ll be adjusting to on the fly, seeing if they can turn it around and give a healthy outing on Thursday.”
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel on Tua Tagovailoa’s status heading into Week 4
It would be highly unfortunate if Tua was forced to miss this huge AFC battle with the quarterback playing at a high level and Miami a only one of only three remaining undefeated teams in the NFL.
Related: Tua Tagovailoa and NFL’s top QBs of 2022
Short week could impact Tua Tagovailoa’s status for Thursday night
If this were a regular Sunday game, confidence in Tua playing would be much higher. But with just three days of “rest,” the mid-week outing now comes into question. It’s one of the primary reasons some NFL players have pushed back against the league scheduling Thursday night matchups.
As for the former Alabama standout, he has started out the 2022 season on fire. That included a six-touchdown performance in a Week 2 win over the Baltimore Ravens.
- Tua Tagovailoa stats (2022): 72% completion, 925 yards, 8 TD, 2 INT, 117.8 QB rating
Tua is leading a Dolphins offense that’s averaging nearly four touchdowns per game. Its passing offense ranks No. 4 in the NFL as Tagovailoa continues to make sweet music with Tyreek Hill (21 catches, 317 yards) and Jaylen Waddle (19 catches, 342 yards).
As for the head injury his star quarterback suffered on Sunday, McDaniel is confident that the protocols were met.
“We wouldn’t have moved forward in the direction we did had there been any sort of red flags, because you can’t keep quarterbacks out of harm’s way. So if he had a head issue, he wouldn’t have been back out there.”
McDaniel on Tua Tagovailoa’s head injury
If Tua can’t go against the Bengals on a short week, veteran Teddy Bridgewater will get the nod.