Dolphins handed first loss as offense falters with out Tua
By Henry McKenna
FOX Sports activities AFC East Author
The Miami Dolphins have pulled off a handful of untamed wins this season, together with two fourth-quarter comebacks to change into the most recent unbeaten workforce within the AFC.
Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins rallied in opposition to the Buffalo Bills in Week 3 regardless of trailing within the fourth quarter. Tagovailoa led a fourth-quarter landing drive that created a lead which Buffalo could not overcome. And in Week 2, Miami beat the Baltimore Ravens after erasing a 21-point deficit in a historic comeback.
Towards the Cincinnati Bengals, the Dolphins could not make the comeback. They sustained their first loss, 27-15.
The distinction in Week 4? The Dolphins did not have Tua.
Tagovailoa suffered head and neck accidents whereas being sacked within the second quarter Thursday night time. The third-year quarterback was taken off the sphere on a stretcher and delivered to the College of Cincinnati Medical Middle.
When the Dolphins wanted a game-winning drive from second-string quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, the veteran threw an interception. The Dolphins have been trailing by simply 5 factors with three minutes left within the recreation. They have been on Cincinnati’s 26-yard line. And Bridgewater gave up the soccer.
The quarterback appeared to have a miscommunication with tight finish Mike Gesicki, who broke his route on the identical second Bridgewater launched the ball. Bridgewater threw the ball like he thought Gesicki was going to maintain working. Vonn Bell intercepted the go, and his 36-yard return helped put Cincinnati in place for the game-clinching rating.
To be clear, Tua threw an interception on a deep ball earlier than exiting the sport with the damage. He wasn’t excellent.
And Bridgewater really accomplished the longest go of the sport, a 64-yarder to Tyreek Hill. The backup quarterback completed with 193 yards, one landing and one interception in just a little greater than two quarters of play. He was strong.
However he wasn’t the finisher Tua has been, with clutch landing drives when the workforce wanted them most. In that scenario, Bridgewater threw the essential decide.
Tagovailoa left the sphere on a stretcher and took an ambulance to a close-by hospital the place he was aware and had motion in all his extremities. The Dolphins anticipated him to get launched from the hospital to fly with the workforce again to Miami, per a number of experiences.
“That was a scary second. He was evaluated for a concussion and is in concussion protocol. … That was an emotional second,” Miami coach Mike McDaniel mentioned postgame.
Tagovailoa’s brutal damage was significantly robust to look at in gentle of what occurred to him final week.
In Week 3, the Dolphins quarterback took an enormous hit in opposition to the Payments and landed on his again and head. He got here up shaking his head and stumbling, at instances struggling to face and needing the assistance of his offensive linemen to remain upright. He left the sport to bear the NFL’s concussion test, and he was not recognized with a concussion. The workforce as an alternative mentioned he had a again damage.
McDaniel confirmed once more Thursday night time that Tagovailoa handed the concussion test in Week 3.
“In any other case, we’d have reported him with a head damage,” McDaniel mentioned. “For me as a head coach right here, I am not going to fudge that form of scenario.”
The NFLPA did not wait lengthy earlier than asserting it could launch an investigation into Tagovailoa’s concussion test in Week 3 to make sure the impartial physician, who carried out the examination, did so correctly. The Gamers Affiliation offered an announcement after seeing Tagovailoa’s concussion in Week 4.
Finally, the Dolphins did not have their quarterback for the second half of the sport. In addition they did not have their prime cornerback, Xavien Howard. And people two accidents harm.
Howard left the sport within the third quarter with a thigh and groin damage. The star cornerback was clearly struggling and allowed a 59-yard landing to Tee Higgins. However his departure made issues worse.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow out of the blue loved extra success throwing downfield and had a neater time attacking the backups, Kader Kohou, who allowed a 43-yard catch from Tyler Boyd, and Keion Crossen, who struggled to maintain tempo with this elite group of receivers.
The Dolphins’ passing offense could not match. Hill might need loved 10 catches for 160 yards and a landing however Jaylen Waddle had simply two catches for 39 yards. Miami’s offense has been reliant upon each gamers having fun with big video games with their run recreation struggling.
With out Miami’s central figures on either side of the ball in Howard and Tagovailoa, Miami could not muster the identical magic it managed within the first three weeks. And if Tagovailoa is pressured to overlook video games, the Dolphins might need to fret about how they may keep aggressive with out their quarterback.
Bridgewater’s shortcomings got here all the way down to only one throw. If he hadn’t thrown that interception, the sport might need ended in a different way. And if it was merely a miscommunication, then the Dolphins can be ok with fixing it — and making ready Bridgewater extra completely as a possible starter for Week 5.
Previous to becoming a member of FOX Sports activities because the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years overlaying the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports activities Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Observe him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.
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