The Dolphins' hopes of taking the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs were dashed in a crushing 56-19 loss to the Ravens. But a late injury to their quarterback threatened to be the far worse thing to come from Sunday's game.
Tua Tagovailoa was injured late against the Ravens, and after Miami turned the ball over on downs midway through the fourth quarter, Tagovailoa was listed as questionable to return. He did not wind up coming out for the next drive as backup Mike White finished the game at quarterback.
Miami's loss coupled with the Bills' win over the Patriots placed added importance on the Dolphins' Week 18 clash against Buffalo. The game will now decide the winner of the AFC East and the difference between potentially entering the postseason as the AFC's No. 2 seed or the No. 6 seed.
Needless to say, an injury to Tagovailoa would be devastating for Miami's hopes of claiming the division title.
Here's the latest on Tagovailoa.
What happened to Tua Tagovailoa?
Just over halfway through the fourth quarter, Tagovailoa was tackled by Odafe Oweh scrambling on a fourth-and-13. He picked up nine yards on the run, and the Dolphins turned the ball over on downs.
Not long after that, the Dolphins announced Tagovailoa was questionable to return to the game with a shoulder injury.
Injury Update | Tua Tagovailoa has a left shoulder injury and is questionable to return.
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) December 31, 2023
Of course, by that point the score was 42-19 with 8:02 remaining in the game. It was likely already time to begin pulling the starters for the Dolphins.
And indeed, after the game, Tagovailoa appeared to suggest his status was likely more precautionary than indicative of a serious ailment.
"Shoulder's good. Just sore. That's all," Tagovailoa told reporters. "Ran, slid and then there was contact."
On Monday, coach Mike McDaniel said the injury is hardly on the mind of the team.
“It’s not a huge blip on my radar right now," McDaniel told reporters.
Dolphins QB depth chart
- Tua Tagovailoa
- Mike White
- Skylar Thompson
Should Tagovailoa miss any time, White would be in line to get the start. He did not attempt a pass on Sunday, and has gone 5-for-6 for 74 yards with a touchdown and an interception so far this season.
The team's third-string quarterback is Skylar Thompson, who was thrust into starting action for the Dolphins last year after injuries to Tagovailoa and backup Teddy Bridgewater. In the regular season, he completed 57.1 per cent of his passes for 534 yards with a touchdown and three picks.
Thompson also started the Dolphins' playoff game against the Bills last season. He went 18-for-45 for 220 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions as Miami lost 34-31.
Tua Tagovailoa stats
Tagovailoa entered the week leading the NFL in passing yards with 4,214, completion percentage of 70.5 percent and ranked sixth in passing touchdowns with 26.
Facing the Ravens, he — like many other quarterbacks before him — struggled. Though he had a pair of touchdown passes, he also threw two interceptions and completed only 22 of 38 passes for 237 yards. His interceptions tied a season-high and his 57.9 completion percentage was his worst of the year.
| Cmp-Att (Cmp%) | Pass Yds | Pass TDs | Ints | Sk | Rush Att | Rush Yds | Rush TDs |
| 371-533 (69.6%) | 4,451 | 28 | 12 | 29 | 34 | 67 | 0 |