Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is again in concussion protocol, coach Mike McDaniel mentioned Monday, following his workforce’s 26-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
McDaniel mentioned it’s “a little early” to find out if Tagovailoa has been recognized with a concussion however that he has been exhibiting signs, inflicting the workforce to look at him and place him beneath the league protocol.
“I just want him to get healthy and have peace of mind in that regard,” McDaniel mentioned. “That’s first and foremost. And then, whatever those circumstances are after, you deal with after, but it’s about the human being and making sure he’s squared away.”
The third-year quarterback missed two video games earlier within the season attributable to a concussion after making an early exit within the Dolphins’ Sept. 29 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. He additionally confirmed signs 4 days earlier in Miami’s Sept. 25 win over the Buffalo Bills however returned in that sport. In each situations, Tagovailoa took a tough hit to the again of the pinnacle towards the bottom upon getting tackled.
There was an occasion late within the first half Sunday when Tagovailoa appeared to take a similar blow to the head, however McDaniel was uncertain if that triggered Tagovailoa’s signs.
“This is something that just came across my plate a couple hours ago,” McDaniel mentioned. “As far as the game was concerned, no one recognized anything with regard to any sort of hit. I can’t really tell you exactly when it was.”
McDaniel mentioned backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will obtain a majority of observe reps whereas Tagovailoa is in protocol. He was not prepared to call a starter for the Dolphins’ upcoming Sunday sport on the New England Patriots.
“That’s one of the reasons why you go and aggressively pursue a player like Teddy Bridgewater,” the Miami coach mentioned of the veteran Miami native who has 64 NFL begins beneath his belt. “Teddy will prepare as though he’s starting, and we’ll see as the week goes.”
The concussion protocol is a five-step course of to return to play, and it’s doable for a participant to return inside just a few days.
Before McDaniel introduced that Tagovailoa was within the protocol, guard Robert Hunt mentioned the quarterback was in good spirits Monday.
The improvement with Tagovailoa comes as Dolphins’ 2022 season has hit a brand new low on the worst doable time after 4 consecutive losses and the franchise’s first winless December since 1993.
A playoff spot, beforehand a foregone conclusion when the Dolphins (8-7) completed November 8-3 and tied atop the AFC East, now nonetheless stays within the steadiness over Miami’s ultimate two regular-season video games.
“We’ve been learning hard lessons for the last month of games, and at some point, if we want to make the next step, we’re going to have to put up or shut up,” McDaniel mentioned following the most recent loss, a defeat towards the Packers at dwelling.
The three earlier losses have been on the highway towards profitable groups. The Dolphins have been anticipated to rebound at dwelling towards a sub-.500 Green Bay workforce on the verge of elimination from playoff competition, particularly after exhibiting encouraging indicators competing with the Super Bowl-favorite Bills in Buffalo’s frigid circumstances the week earlier than.
But then, main 20-10 deep within the first half, they have been hit with an “unexpected” second half, as McDaniel referred to as it, with Tagovailoa unraveling for 3 fourth-quarter interceptions.
“It is tough, but also nothing comes easy in this game,” McDaniel mentioned. “If you’re in a position to dig your self out of it, it does profit you within the subsequent part of the season.
“Bottom line is it is what it is. What type of people are we and are we able to really get through this together? Because there’s no one else outside of that team meeting room that’s going to come save us. We have to figure it out ourselves.”
Despite the obvious doom and gloom, Miami, nonetheless calm and picked up in its locker room, is aware of it controls its personal destiny for a postseason berth.
The Dolphins might be holding on to the AFC’s ultimate wild-card spot if the Los Angeles Chargers clinch a playoff berth on Monday night time towards the reeling Indianapolis Colts.
Here are the playoff situations for the Dolphins:
If they win each of their remaining video games on the Patriots (7-8) and residential towards the New York Jets (7-8), they’re in.
They may clinch earlier than the finale towards New York, in the event that they win in Foxborough on Sunday and the Jets lose on the Seattle Seahawks.
If the Dolphins lose in Week 17, Miami then must win the finale towards the Jets and have the Patriots lose their finale at Buffalo to get in, no matter New York’s end in Seattle.
If the Dolphins win towards the Patriots and the Jets win towards the Seahawks, Miami’s finale towards New York might turn out to be a winner-take-all state of affairs if the Chargers have already clinched by then. Should Miami lose to New York on this case, its solely means in is with the Chargers both shedding all three of their remaining video games or shedding to each their remaining AFC opponents (Colts, Broncos) whereas the Steelers win out to create a big tiebreaker at 9-8 — an unlikely state of affairs that might be erased from the equation Monday night time.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com