Patrick Mahomes, J.J. Watt express concern as Tua Tagovailoa suffers concussion against Bills
Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins had a rough outing against the Buffalo Bills in their Week 2 clash on Thursday at Hard Rock Stadium. The quarterback tossed three interceptions and the offense turned the ball over on downs once in the first three quarters and the Bills capitalized on each gaffe, scoring three touchdowns and a field goal.
To make matters worse, Tagovailoa was ruled out of the game late in the third quarter with a concussion. On a 4th-and-4 play in the red zone, the quarterback scrambled for six yards before accidentally taking a shot to the head from Damar Hamlin. He was immediately taken to the blue medical tent and diagnosed with a concussion within minutes.
Fellow quarterback Patrick Mahomes sent his prayers to the Dolphins star on X/Twitter:
Former Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals pass rusher J.J. Watt also expressed his concerns about Tagovailoa's injury:
To add insult to injury, the quarterback's sacrifice yielded nothing for the Dolphins, as backup quarterback Skylar Thompson and the offense turned the ball over on downs.
Tua Tagovailoa's concussion history
In the second quarter of a Week 3 game against the Bills in the 2022 NFL season, Tagovailoa suffered his first concussion injury. After a tackle from Matt Milano, the quarterback's head bounced hard off the floor. He wobbled as he got back to his feet but was cleared to return to the game.
The Dolphins ruled it a back injury but the league fired the independent neurologist who cleared the quarterback. Four days later on Thursday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals, Tagovailoa was slammed to the floor headfirst and remained on the ground. The quarterback was officially diagnosed with a concussion and missed the Dolphins' next two games.
On Christmas Day against the Packers, Tagovailoa suffered another head injury but finished the game. After the game, the Dolphins announced that the quarterback had suffered yet another concussion.
His latest concussion diagnosis is the third time he has suffered the injury, at least officially, in the last two years. Furthermore, he suffered a concussion in college during his time in Alabama as well. He'll now spend time in the league's concussion protocol and will likely miss the Dolphins' Week 3 outing against the Seattle Seahawks. However, the long-term implications could be more severe.