Dolphins try to overcome Tagovailoa’s injury with chance to clinch playoff spot vs. Patriots
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, normally loquacious, was uncharacteristically brief Wednesday when describing his emotions surrounding quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s second diagnosed concussion this season.
“Terrible,” a somber McDaniel said of his feelings about Tagovailoa, not only his starting quarterback but a young man he has grown extremely close to over the past 10 months.
Tagovailoa’s concussion, sustained in Miami’s Christmas Day loss to the Green Bay Packers, is the latest “gut check” for a team that McDaniel said has experienced plenty of them in the last month.
And now, the Dolphins (8-7) have the opportunity to clinch a playoff spot when they face the New England Patriots (7-8) in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Sunday, but they will have to do so without their captain Tagovailoa, who has been ruled out as he remains in concussion protocol.
“It’s a violent game,” wide receiver Jaylen Waddle said. “It kind of comes with the game though. It’s something that we’ve got to deal with long-term, but that’s — sadly, it’s part of our game. It’s physical. We’re going to war each and every week. Concussions are definitely something serious, but it’s a part of the game.”
Tagovailoa’s latest injury only adds another question to a team reeling from four consecutive losses, but players haven’t let it cast a cloud over their midweek preparation and playoff aspirations, even as they express concern for their teammate.
Miami’s locker room atmosphere was jovial like always, as some players were engaged in a game of cards and others debated who to include on their ballot for the NFL’s Top 100 players list. At practice, McDaniel cracked a smile as he joked with Teddy Bridgewater, the Miami native who will start for Tagovailoa, and the quarterbacks and receivers performed their individualized handshakes before drills, as usual. Players have stated their belief in Bridgewater, the nine-year veteran who filled in for Tagovailoa earlier in the season when he was sidelined by a concussion.
The Dolphins have won four consecutive games against the Patriots but each of those victories has come with Tagovailoa under center. Miami signed Bridgewater for potential moments like this, though nobody could have predicted the string of concussions for Tagovailoa that has in some ways defined — and could derail — Miami’s season. The Dolphins are 8-5 when Tagovailoa has started this season but 0-2 when he hasn’t.
“I can tell you one thing, the New England Patriots don’t care about our feelings,” McDaniel said. “They’re very aware about that. I see a very focused and determined group that recognizes the opportunity within the adversity.”
Despite Tagovailoa’s latest concussion and a four-game losing streak, the Dolphins can clinch a wild-card spot with a win and a New York Jets loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, a game that won’t conclude until hours after their own matchup has ended.
“Football still means something to the guys in this locker room and the guys that are going out there Sunday,” Bridgewater said. “For the guys that are giving it their all, it means a lot. I’m looking forward to the opportunity.”
Securing the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2016 would erase the sting of a late-season skid that has threatened their postseason spot but Tagovailoa’s availability — in the short-term and long-term — still looms over the weekend and after it.
While McDaniel said Tagovailoa is improving, there is no indication regarding his availability for the regular-season finale — a home game against the Jets — or in the playoffs should the Dolphins advance to the postseason. Tagovailoa’s second concussion and third suspected head injury this season have led many to ask questions about his future but McDaniel said he would not speculate and would defer to medical professionals.
There’s also a feeling of deja vu for Dolphins faithful who have watched late-season collapses and see a similar script unfolding. In 2020, a blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills in the season finale landed Miami on the outside looking in despite a 10-win season. Last year, a rout by the Tennessee Titans in Week 17 ended a miraculous turnaround from 1-7 and shredded any postseason hopes. And now, an 8-3 start has turned into the Dolphins just barely holding onto the AFC’s final wild-card spot.
“There’s a few guys who have been on the team the last couple of years who can definitely learn from it and just use that,” defensive lineman Christian Wilkins said. “But really it’s a new year, a new team, a new season and things like that. So you’re just going to have to bring it and do your best all week so you can win on Sunday.”
It’s a statement that has been echoed by many players who have been in Miami for multiple seasons — that this is a different team and a different franchise, in large part because of the arrival of McDaniel and his staff.
If there is any time to prove it, it’s Sunday.
This story was originally published December 30, 2022 at 1:33 PM.
