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Tua Tagovailoa has not officially been declared out for the Miami Dolphins in their wild-card matchup against AFC East foes, Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
After sustaining a head injury in Miami's 26-20 defeat to the Green Bay Packers in Week 16, Tagovailoa was sidelined for the team's next two matches, including the 11-6 victory over the New York Jets that secured the team's spot in the playoffs. Despite playing the entire match, Mike McDaniel, the head coach, claims that Tagovailoa exhibited concussion symptoms the next day.
Tagovailoa has been in concussion protocol since that game and has not yet been given the all-clear to participate in any sporting practice.
The Miami Dolphins are in the NFL postseason due to their victory over the New York Jets in Week 18, and the New England Patriots' defeat to the Buffalo Bills.
How did Tua Tagovailoa's concussion problems start?
Tua Tagovailoa is currently in concussion protocol for the second time this season. During the game versus the Buffalo Bills in Week 3, Tagovailoa seemed to bump his head on the ground, which gave a hint of a concussion. He went back out onto the field, though, but it was later claimed that he had actually hurt his back.
After sustaining a concussion on a hit in the next game, a Week 4 defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals, Tagovailoa was transported by the paramedics to a nearby hospital. Tagovailoa would, after that, be absent from his team's next two contests.
Teddy Bridgewater is in contention to be the starting QB for just the second time this season if Tagovailoa is unable to play on Sunday. In Week 5, he started in Tagovailoa's place as a replacement.
Tua Tagovailoa’s absence doesn’t bode well for Miami Dolphins’ chances vs. Buffalo Bills
In Week 18, rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson started for the Dolphins versus the New York Jets, helping them to a victory that secured a postseason berth and ended a five-game losing streak.
Without Tua Tagovailoa, the Miami Dolphins will have difficulty competing. When he is the starting QB this season, the Dolphins are 8-5 and scored 25.5 points per game on average. When he's not starting, the Dolphins are merely 1-2 and score 14.7 points per game on average.
With a quarterback rating of 105.5, Tagovailoa topped the league amongst quarterbacks who started at least 50% of their teams' games, beating Patrick Mahomes. Josh Allen of the Bills finished further down in 8th with 96.6.
From Tagovailoa to Teddy Bridgewater, there is a significant dropoff in quality. In light of this, everyone will be watching what transpires during Dolphins camp this week to see if Tagovailoa partakes in any capacity.
Tua Tagovailoa has thrown for a career-high 3,548 yards and 25 scores on 259 of his 400 attempts this season.
