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Mike McDaniel confirms MRI results for Tua Tagovailoa, who will miss game vs. Jets
- Updated: October 3, 2022
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel announced on Monday that starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will miss the team’s road game on Sunday against the New York Jets as he is still in concussion protocol.
#Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel announces that QB Tua Tagovailoa will be out this week's game against the #Jets. Still in the concussion protocol.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 3, 2022
Veteran signal-caller Teddy Bridgewater will start in Tagovailoa’s place. Bridgewater completed 14 of his 23 passes for 193 yards, one touchdown and one interception on Thursday night against the Cincinnati Bengals, a game the Dolphins lost 27-15.
The University of Louisville product entered the game after Tagovailoa hit his head following a rough tackle from a Bengals defender.
While Bridgewater had some nice moments throughout the game, including a deep pass to star wide receiver Tyreek Hill, he was unable to lead the Dolphins to victory.
Teddy Bridgewater & Tyreek Hill connect on a 64-yard gain. #MIAvsCIN on Prime Video
Also available on NFL+ https://t.co/Phmgdb9VGl pic.twitter.com/2Tpd9kzoRZ— NFL (@NFL) September 30, 2022
In recent days, the Dolphins have been criticized for how Tagovailoa’s situation was handled. He initially hit his head during the team’s Week 3 contest against the Buffalo Bills before being cleared and returning to action.
Here is the scary hit Tua took. #Dolphins #Bills pic.twitter.com/2mvAUgvbAb
— NFL Unlimited (@NFLUnlimited) September 25, 2022
He then started against the Bengals and was on the receiving end of a similar hit. Many believe that he shouldn’t have been out there in the first place.
This is a disaster. Pray for Tua. Fire the medical staffs and coaches. I predicted this and I hate that I am right. Two concussions in 5 days can kill someone. This can end careers. How are we so stupid in 2022. pic.twitter.com/D8S8eEbgda
— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) September 30, 2022
In some good news, Tagovailoa has been in the team’s facility and had a “couple of good days.” McDaniel also stated that the MRI that was done on Tagovailoa came back clean.
Tua is in the building. "He's had a couple of good days. He's just trying to go through with the proper procedure and protocol," McDaniel said.
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) October 3, 2022
Mike McDaniel confirms that Tua Tagovailoa's MRI on Friday, which was still pending when the coach last spoke, did come back clean.
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) October 3, 2022
One can only wonder how long Tagovailoa will be out for. Miami now has a couple of easier opponents coming up after going through a tough stretch to start the season.
After taking on the Jets, it will face the Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears in successive weeks.
Bridgewater should be able to handle those teams pretty easily. The coming weeks will also give the Dolphins a chance to work on their ground game, which hasn’t done all that well this season.
The passing game has made its mark with big plays from Hill and Jaylen Waddle, but Raheem Mostert and Chase Edmonds haven’t been able to get the running game off going.
While Mostert got the most carries on the team on Thursday, it seems like he and Edmonds will still split time in the backfield.
McDaniel said he’s seen “some really cool things” from Raheem Mostert over the past couple weeks that’s added to the Dolphins’ run game
Added they will continue to use Mostert and Chase Edmonds situationally
— Marcel Louis-Jacques (@Marcel_LJ) October 3, 2022
What’s most important right now is that Tagovailoa take some time off to recover from the scary injury. He surely knows that his teammates have his back and will do everything they can to keep the Dolphins atop the AFC.