Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will miss his second straight game, and Tyler “Snoop” Huntley will start in his place on Sunday against the New York Jets with a playoff berth on the line.
Why is Tagovailoa out, and how long will he be out? Will he be able to return if Miami makes the playoffs?
Tua Tagovailoa Still Bothered by Bruised Hip, Will Miss Season Finale
Tagovailoa is frustrated. His team has a shot at going to the playoffs but needs a win on Sunday against the Jets. They also need Kansas City to knock off the Denver Broncos in the Mile High City.
The team captain will not be out there leading his men into battle. Instead, Huntley will start in Tagovailoa’s place, with the Dolphins’ fate in his hands.
“Yeah, it’s tough. It’s tough for any competitor to have to sit out when the season is on the line and you know you can do more, but that just tells you how much trust and respect that we have for Snoop [Tyler Huntley],” Tagovailoa said on the Friday ahead of Week 18. “The defense has been balling as well, so looking forward to what our guys can do this Sunday and we’ll see how the cards fall and how they play out.”
Tagovailoa is not in pain. He is not playing due to the damage that could be sustained if he did play and took a big hit. The doctors have advised him not to play out of precautionary measures. “When it comes to pain, I think I’m good with all of that, but it’s just the restriction of what the doctors are saying I can do,” Tagovailoa said. That’s what it is.
“I don’t know if anything could be worse than what it is right now, but I don’t know. This is just what the doctors are telling me is right for myself and things of that nature, but I want to be out there. That’s for sure. That’s for sure. I want to be out there, but it’s just a risk for myself to be out there and if something were to happen again, that’s what it is.”
The frustration was oozing out of Tagovailoa’s face as he was describing why he couldn’t play, saying simply, “Hell yeah, I’m frustrated. I’m frustrated,” Tagovailoa said. “Yeah, I’m frustrated.”
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said the team is preparing for Huntley to get the start. He said it is unlikely Tagovailoa will be ready to go.
“We’ll approach it like Snoop is starting,” McDaniel said. “It looks like the way that I approached the week was probably smart, I see it as unlikely that Tua [Tagovailoa] will see any action.”
McDaniel said Tagovailoa is not a candidate for surgery on the hip. “It is a ‘stop aggravating this by pushing through and try to regain some security and strength’ and so it’s time.”
Tagovailoa has had a strong season when healthy. He has put together a grade of 86.2 (B), the eighth-best mark in the league, according to PFN’s QB+ metric. Tagovailoa ranks as the best quarterback in the league when facing pressure but has just a 0.25 EPA/DB from a clean pocket (14th).
His clutch numbers overall have been good, but we have seen some struggles in the past two weeks. His EPA/DB on the season ranks fourth at 0.21, and he converts a 10th-best 42.9% of third downs.