Miami Dolphins are set to be without starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for their must-win game against 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 out of choice, the Dolphins have lost their main man due to a hip issue.
Head coach Mike McDaniel said it was ‘very unlikely’ that Tagovailoa will be in any condition to face Aaron Rodgers and the Jets at MetLife Stadium.
It means that Tyler ‘Snoop’ Huntley will take to the field in his place.
‘We’ll approach it like Snoop is starting,’ McDaniel said on Friday. ‘The way that we approached the week is probably smart. I see it as unlikely that Tua will see any action.
Miami Dolphins are set to 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 a bruise (for Tua), that would be pain tolerance. Tua wishes it was a pain issue. It is quite literally being able to have the strength to do what we ask him to do as well as protecting himself from a very serious injury if we don’t treat it appropriately.
‘I wouldn’t say it is a bruise but it is kind of a unique muscle issue.’
Huntly made 22 out of 26 passes for the Dolphins for 225 yards and one touchdown in the 20-3 win over Cleveland Browns last weekend, a win that leaves the Dolphins 8-8 for the season.
McDaniel was unsure about the timespan that Tagovailoa would need to get back onto the field if his team make the playoffs, but said that there had been improvement in the issue throughout the week.
It has been a hard season for Tagovailoa individually, as he missed six weeks of the season from getting concussed for the third time in his career against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2.
He collided with Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin, who has recently acknowledged the two-year anniversary of his cardiac arrest on the field against Cincinnati Bengals.
There were concerns, again, for Tagovailoa’s career due to the head injury but he returned against Arizona Cardinals in October.
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