National Football League

Dolphins handed first loss as offense falters without Tua

Updated Sep. 30, 2022 4:54 p.m. ET

By Henry McKenna
FOX Sports AFC East Writer

The Miami Dolphins have pulled off a handful of wild wins this season, including two fourth-quarter comebacks, to become the latest unbeaten team in the AFC.

Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins rallied against the Buffalo Bills in Week 3 despite trailing in the fourth quarter. Tagovailoa led a fourth-quarter touchdown drive that created a lead Buffalo couldn't overcome. And in Week 2, Miami beat the Baltimore Ravens after erasing a 21-point deficit in a historic comeback.

Against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Dolphins couldn't make the comeback. They sustained their first loss, 27-15.

The difference in Week 4? The Dolphins didn't have Tua.

Tagovailoa suffered head and neck injuries while being sacked in the second quarter Thursday night. The third-year quarterback was taken off the field on a stretcher and brought to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

When the Dolphins needed a game-winning drive from second-string quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, the veteran threw an interception. The Dolphins were trailing by just five points with three minutes left in the game. They were on Cincinnati's 26-yard line. And Bridgewater gave up the football.

The quarterback seemed to have a miscommunication with tight end Mike Gesicki, who broke his route at the same moment Bridgewater released the ball. Bridgewater threw the ball like he thought Gesicki was going to keep running. Vonn Bell intercepted the pass, and his 36-yard return helped put Cincinnati in position for the game-clinching score.

To be clear, Tua threw an interception on a deep ball before exiting the game with the injury. He wasn't perfect.

And Bridgewater actually completed the longest pass of the game, a 64-yarder to Tyreek Hill. The backup quarterback finished with 193 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a little more than two quarters of play. He was solid.

But he wasn't the finisher Tua has been, with clutch touchdown drives when the team needed them most. In that situation, Bridgewater threw the crucial pick.

Tagovailoa left the field on a stretcher and took an ambulance to a nearby hospital where he was conscious and had movement in all his extremities. The Dolphins expected him to get released from the hospital to fly with the team back to Miami, per multiple reports.

"That was a scary moment. He was evaluated for a concussion and is in concussion protocol. … That was an emotional moment," Miami coach Mike McDaniel said postgame.

Tagovailoa's brutal injury was particularly tough to watch in light of what happened to him last week.

In Week 3, the Dolphins quarterback took a big hit against the Bills and landed on his back and head. He came up shaking his head and stumbling, at times struggling to stand and needing the help of his offensive linemen to stay upright. He left the game to undergo the NFL's concussion check, and he was not diagnosed with a concussion. The team instead said he had a back injury.

McDaniel confirmed again Thursday night that Tagovailoa passed the concussion check in Week 3.

"Otherwise, we would have reported him with a head injury," McDaniel said. "For me as a head coach here, I'm not going to fudge that sort of situation."

The NFLPA didn't wait long before announcing it would launch an investigation into Tagovailoa's concussion check in Week 3 to ensure the neutral doctor, who performed the exam, did so properly. The Players Association provided a statement after seeing Tagovailoa's concussion in Week 4.

Ultimately, the Dolphins didn't have their quarterback for the second half of the game. They also didn't have their top cornerback, Xavien Howard. And those two injuries hurt.

Howard left the game in the third quarter with a thigh and groin injury. The star cornerback was clearly struggling and allowed a 59-yard touchdown to Tee Higgins. But his departure made things worse.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow suddenly enjoyed more success throwing downfield and had an easier time attacking the backups — Kader Kohou, who allowed a 43-yard catch from Tyler Boyd, and Keion Crossen, who struggled to keep pace with this elite group of receivers.

The Dolphins' passing offense couldn't match that. Hill might have enjoyed 10 catches for 160 yards and a touchdown, but Jaylen Waddle had just two catches for 39 yards. Miami's offense has been reliant upon both players enjoying huge games with their run game struggling.

Without central figures on both sides of the ball in Howard and Tagovailoa, Miami couldn't muster the same magic it managed in the first three weeks. And if Tagovailoa is forced to miss games, the Dolphins might have to worry about how they will stay competitive without their quarterback.

Bridgewater's shortcomings came down to just one throw. If he hadn't thrown that interception, the game might have ended differently. And if it was simply a miscommunication, then the Dolphins can feel good about fixing it — and preparing Bridgewater more thoroughly as a potential starter for Week 5.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.