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Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa suffers concussion in TNF game against Bills
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Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa suffers concussion in TNF game against Bills

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Tua Tagovailoa’s bad night took a turn for the better when the Miami Dolphins quarterback was forced to leave his team’s 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the third quarter on Thursday night with a concussion.

On a fourth-and-4 play from Buffalo’s 13-yard line, Tagovailoa ran up the middle while trying to get a first down. The Dolphins quarterback dove headfirst for the first down marker, but was hit by Bills safety Damar Hamlin. It appeared that Tagovailoa hit his head on Hamlin’s body during the tackle.

Tagovailoa remained on the turf for a few moments. He was eventually helped off the field and escorted to the locker room by the Dolphins’ medical staff. Backup quarterback Skylar Thompson replaced Tagovailoa with 4:24 left in the third quarter, with Miami trailing 31-10.

“I thought I was worried,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel told reporters after the game when asked what he thought about seeing Tagovailoa on the floor. “I was just worried about my guy. It’s not something you ever want to be a part of. You hope it’s not.”

The Dolphins ruled Tagovailoa out with a concussion shortly after his departure.

“It makes me sick,” Thompson said after the game. “It sucks. In my position, you never want your chance to come like that. Got a lot of love for Tua. Got a great relationship with him and you care more about the person than the player.”

The Dolphins quarterback, who had 145 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions when he left Thursday, has struggled with injuries throughout his career. In 2022, Tagovailoa suffered two known concussions and was limited to 13 games. He suffered a hip injury at Alabama in 2019 and missed the rest of the college season.

Hamlin, who suffered a cardiac arrest on the field during a Monday Night Football game in January 2023, wished Tagovailoa a “speedy recovery” via social media.

Questions about Tagovailoa’s future were raised after the game — questions that will continue to exist given the quarterback’s injury history. But McDaniel said the Dolphins’ main concern right now is Tagovailoa’s health.

“You know, right now it’s more about a good procedural evaluation (Friday), and taking it day by day,” McDaniel said. “The furthest thing from my mind is, you know, what’s the timeline? We just have to evaluate and just be concerned about my teammate, like the rest of the guys. We’ll get more information (Friday), and then we’ll just take it day by day.”

Miami signed Tagovailoa to a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension in July. The Dolphins originally drafted Tagovailoa with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

Follow Tyler Dragon of USA TODAY Sports on X @TheTylerDragon.