The Miami Dolphins will be without starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for their must-win game against the New York Jets this weekend.
The Dolphins need to beat the Jets and hope the Denver Broncos lose to a much-changed Kansas City Chiefs in order to make the postseason.
But while the Chiefs will be without their starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes by choice, the Dolphins have lost their top man to a hip issue.
Head coach Mike McDaniel said it was “very unlikely” that Tagovailoa would be fit to face Aaron Rodgers and the Jets at MetLife Stadium.
It means Tyler ‘Snoop’ Huntley will take the field in his place.
“We’re going to approach it like Snoop is just starting out,” McDaniel said Friday. ‘The way we approach the week is probably smart. I see it as unlikely that Tua will take action.
Miami Dolphins will be without starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa this weekend
Mike McDaniel needs his team to win on Sunday to have any chance of making the playoffs.
‘It’s not a case of bruising (for Tua), that would be pain tolerance. Tua wishes it was a pain problem. It is literally being able to have the strength to do what we ask in addition to protecting ourselves from a very serious injury if we do not treat it properly.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a bruise, but it’s kind of a unique muscle problem.”
Huntly was 22 of 26 for the Dolphins for 225 yards and a touchdown in a 20-3 win over the Cleveland Browns last weekend, a victory that leaves the Dolphins at 8-8 for the season.
McDaniel was unsure of the length of time Tagovailoa would need to return to the field if his team makes the playoffs, but said there had been improvements in the issue throughout the week.
It has been a difficult season for Tagovailoa individually, as he missed six weeks of the season suffering a concussion for the third time in his career against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2.
He collided with Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who recently acknowledged the two-year anniversary of his cardiac arrest on the field against the Cincinnati Bengals.
There was again concern for Tagovailoa’s career due to the head injury, but he returned against the Arizona Cardinals in October.