Maybe not in the best fashion, but the Miami Dolphins clinched a playoff berth in the AFC with an 11-6 win against the New York Jets in Week 18. Even though the first season as head coach for Mike McDaniel has been a roller-coaster, he can now say mission accomplished.
However, the success of the Dolphins towards the Super Bowl depends a lot on Tua Tagovailoa's health. After a 3-0 start, Miami lost Tua with a concussion and quickly fell to 3-3. Then, Tagovailoa came back and the Dolphins got five consecutive wins. At 8-3, they looked like a lock in the playoffs, but, suddenly, disaster arrived. A five-game losing streak appeared and the starting quarterback suffered yet another concussion. They almost missed the playoffs.
Now, the Miami Dolphins visit the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs. Not so long ago, in Week 15, Tua Tagovailoa almost led his team to victory in a 32-29 thriller loss at Highmark Stadium. Continue reading to find out if he will be ready for the rematch.
NFL playoffs: Will Tua Tagovailoa play against the Bills?
Prior to the game at Buffalo in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs, head coach Mike McDaniel gave the most recent update about Tua Tagovailoa and his status under the concussion protocol.
“As of today, Tua has not been cleared by doctors to resume football activities on the field with his teammates. So, because of that and because the time that he's missed, I can rule him out for Sunday."
Furthermore, the Dolphins still don't know if backup Teddy Bridgewater will be ready after he dislocated a finger on his throwing hand. Considering this scenario, Mike McDaniel confirmed they are preparing the Buffalo game with rookie Skylar Thompson as their starting quarterback.
