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The Miami Dolphins snuck into the playoffs as the seventh seed, but very well may be without the services of Tua Tagovailoa for any of the playoffs. He suffered a second concussion during the Week 17 loss to the Green Bay Packers in which he threw three second-half interceptions.
Tagovailoa's head injuries have been front and center this season. Earlier in the year, he suffered what appeared to be a head trauma on a play but was allowed to re-enter the game under the pretense that his injury was actually a back injury.
Four days later, on Thursday Night Football, he suffered a concussion and had to be taken to a hospital.
All of this has left the Dolphins with more questions than answers. In Mike McDaniel's first season as head coach, the team has lost Tua Tagovailoa possibly for the season, but in a few different stints as well.
This is possibly the worst time for that to occur, but the quarterback's health matters. Many called for the Dolphins to shut him down, but it may not matter.
They have a tough matchup anyway. The pre-season Super Bowl favorite Buffalo Bills lie in wait in the two-seven matchup in the AFC. That's an unenviable matchup for the Dolphins even with Tagovailoa.
If he plays, it's a different (but still challenging) story. With either Teddy Bridgewater or Skylar Thompson starting, the Bills may have the easiest matchup of the postseason.
NFL playoff picks: Why the Dolphins are a nasty bet without Tua Tagovailoa
Under McDaniel, the Dolphins were incredibly streaky. They had win streaks of three and five and a losing streak of five that was broken by an ugly 11-6 win in the season finale, which clinched a playoff spot.
Following that win, McDaniel told reporters:
"We’ll take it day by day. And I will not think about any game — whether this year or next year — until he’s fully ready. And that will require medical clearance."
For what it's worth, the Dolphins' medical clearance hasn't been good this year, but if Tua Tagovailoa suits up, it has to be assumed he is healthy enough to do so.
The problem is that that doesn't seem likely. The Dolphins want to win their playoff game. They want to have a Cinderella run in their coach's first year.
They also know that all eyes are on them. With Tua Tagovailoa's multiple concussions this year, every NFL fan, pundit and analyst will turn their head if he's activated for this game.
Every one of them will also be watching every hit he takes very closely. If they handle something wrong, the NFL world will know it and put them through the ringer once again.
It is a wholly unenviable situation for the Dolphins to be in. Their quarterback's health is more important than any game, even a playoff game. He's their quarterback of the future, too, which means there is a very delicate balancing act going on here.
However, their goal is to win a Super Bowl and they need him to do it. They also don't want to admit defeat in a postseason game.
Starting Thompson or someone else would be an unofficial white flag. They would stand very little chance of defeating the mighty Bills and the NFL world knows that.
To the Dolphins' credit, Tua Tagovailoa didn't play last week. He will have almost two full weeks to recover from this concussion, which might be a difference maker. It will look bad if he starts, but if he's genuinely cleared then the optics aren't as important.
It's a conundrum, one that has an easy answer but a very difficult outcome.
