Tua Tagovailoa, sidelined by finger injury, takes over for injured QB Brissett vs. Ravens
The Miami Dolphins did not want to use Tua Tagovailoa on Thursday. An injury to Jacoby Brissett in the third quarter forced their hand.
On the third play from scrimmage in the second half, Justin Houston burned Liam Eichenberg to sack Jacoby Brissett on the third down. The quarterback went down hard and grabbed at his right after the 10-yard loss before he hobbled off the field and into the medical tent on the Dolphins’ sideline at Hard Rock Stadium.
While Brissett tried to get loose on the sideline, Tagovailoa took over to lead Miami’s second drive of the second half.
Brissett is questionable to return with a knee injury, the team announced. He was cleared to return, Fox reported, but Flores opted to go with Tagovailoa instead.
Tagovailoa was relegated to backup duty for the second straight game because of a fractured finger on his left hand. Tagovailoa fractured his middle finger in the Dolphins’ Halloween loss to the Buffalo Bills and it kept him from starting Sunday against the Houston Texans, although Miami did make him active to serve as Brissett’s backup. On a short week, the Dolphins stuck with the same plan Thursday, believing Tagovailoa, even at less than 100 percent, was better than any of their practice-squad options.
Coach Brian Flores said Tagovailoa’s issue was as an inability to make all the necessary throws, particularly down the field, because of his injured finger.
The fractured finger was the second injury to force Tagovailoa to miss time this year. The quarterback also missed three games earlier in the season with fractured ribs, forcing Brissett to take over for nearly a month. Tagovailoa returned last month and put together two solid performances against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons before getting hurt again in New York.
Tagovailoa, who was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, was 103 of 157 for 1,040 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions in five games — all starts — entering this week.
This story was originally published November 11, 2021 at 10:22 PM.
