An already rough week in the state of Florida (Hurricane Ian) got rougher Thursday night. The Miami Dolphins went up against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night, and suffered their first loss of the season, 27-15. The top headline during the game that is going to be covered is Tua Tagovailoa’s injury, which was very serious.
1. Tua’s Injury
Before I fully explain what happened, let me explain some context. In Sunday’s win against the Bills, Tua Tagovailoa took a big hit late in the second quarter, and then when getting up, he seemed to take a fall while heading to the sidelines; he looked wobbly. Originally, he was placed under the concussion protocol, but he later came back in the opening drive of the second half, with fans everywhere shocked.
Later that day, Miami would say that Tua suffered a back and ankle injury, and he was never concussed. Going into the short week, he was questionable to play, and would be ‘good to go’ on Thursday.
With six minutes left in the second quarter, Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa rolled to the left and went back to pass on 2nd and 7 from the Cincinnati 40. Josh Tupou slammed him back for a 10 yard loss. Then he stayed on the ground, and when Al Michaels said on the broadcast, “uh-oh”, we knew it was not good. Right after that, he had a fencing reaction and could not move his fingers.
What is a fencing reaction?
According to the National Library of Medicine, it is “an overt indicator of injury force magnitude and midbrain localization to aid in injury identification and classification.”
It was as clear as can be. Tua clearly had more than a back injury and suffered head trauma for the second time in four days. Tua would be placed on a stretcher. He would then be rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. They would announce that he suffered head and neck injuries.
Teddy Bridgewater would take over for the rest of the game.
(UPDATE): Tua was able to travel back home with the team, and he was smiling in the locker room after the game, even with a neck brace on.
2. Teddy Struggled, Tyreek Thrived, and the Small Things Costed the Fins
Teddy Bridgewater came in and looked okay at times, going 14-for-23 for 193 yards, throwing a touchdown and a pick in the process.
A positive note was that Tyreek Hill backed up his trash talk to Eli Apple. Hill had an amazing night, catching 10 balls for 160 yards. Two of Hill’s best eight career games are with Miami, which is an interesting stat.
Miami’s defense played well considering the situation they were in; they once again bent but not broke. It was impressive that the defense stood their ground; Miami has had short rest and Josh Allen kept the defense on the field fo the entire game last week.
There were a few notable plays that cost the Fins. The most notable being the Chase Edmonds TD drop and the Jason Sanders missed field goal and the missed PAT. Xavien Howard left in the second half with a groin injury, which definitely affected the Miami secondary.
3. Joe Burrow looked like Joe Burrow
Burrow finally hit his stride, despite an awful offensive line. He went 20-for-31 for 287 yards and two touchdowns, with Tee Higgins catching seven of those for 124 yards and a touchdown.
Overall, bigger than all, you have to hope Tua’s okay. Go Fins no matter what.