BY Samir Ajy
Last night’s game against the division rival Buffalo Bills could not have gone any worse for the
Miami Dolphins, as the team failed to build off of their last second, week one victory against the
Jaguars at Hard Rock Stadium. The team played their second home game in a row, opening
division play and looking to improve to 2-0, but fell 31-10 to the Bills, who have now won nine
of the last ten matchups against Miami. Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen finished the night
completing 13 passes in 19 attempts with 139 yards and one touchdown pass. Buffalo’s offense
was headlined by the performance of running back James Cook, who finished his night with 95
total yards and three first half touchdowns, including a 49-yard touchdown run towards the end
of the first half that put the bills up 24-7 as a large contingency of Bills fans inside Hard Rock
stadium cheered loudly.
The Dolphins’ Week One victory was overshadowed by the headlines surrounding the body cam
video of the detention of star wide receiver Tyreek Hill by Miami Police officers during a traffic
stop prior to the team’s game last Sunday. Defensive tackle Calais Campbell, and tight end
Jonnu Smith were also handcuffed while attempting to de-escalate the situation. The Dolphins
struggled to gain any sort of traction or momentum offensively, hindered by turnovers, including
three interceptions by quarterback Tua Tagaviloa, including a pick six in Miami’s first drive of
the second half.
The game would only take a turn for the worst for the Dolphins. Trailing 31-10 late in the third
quarter, with Miami attempting to stage a comeback, Tagaviloa scrambled and converted a fourth
down and two, before diving head first into Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin’s chest. Similar to his
injury in 2022, during a Thursday Night Game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Tagaviloa entered
a fencing position and remained down on the field for a few minutes, in what was a concerning
sight for everyone watching the game. Luckily, unlike the scene in Cincinnati two years ago,
Tua was able to walk off of the field and into the locker room. He has been diagnosed with a
concussion, his third documented since 2022. Since the end of last night’s game, prominent
figures across the league, including Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce, have advised
the 26 year-old quarterback to prematurely retire out of concern for his health and well-being,
months after signing a four-year $212 million contract extension with the Dolphins.
“I just think that at some point, he’s going to live longer than he’s going to play football. Take
care of your family.” explained Pierce during a Friday press conference.
Unfortunately, Pierce might be right. As a former linebacker who spent nine years in the NFL
and retired shortly after suffering a bulging disc injury in his neck.
Tagovailoa has a family, which includes a wife and two young children, which is important to
consider from a personal standpoint.
However, according to Scott Polacek from Bleacher Report, if Tagovailoa is medically forced to
retire, he is due to receive $124 million of his guaranteed money. If is medically cleared to play
but opts to retire anyway, he will receive just the $43 million his due for this season, unless he
can get the remainder of the guaranteed money through an injury settlement with the team, which
is not a guarantee.
Skylar Thompson, who finished last night’s game, will start at quarterback for the Dolphins in
the meantime, unless Miami looks for outside help, which includes a reunion with veteran
quarterback and free agent, Ryan Tannehill. Overall, it is a tough situation for the Dolphins, but
more importantly for Tua and the outlook on his physical well-being.
Dolphins’ head coach Mike McDaniel and offensive tackle Austin Jackson expressed immediate
concern about the quarterback’s health.
“Even with his history already with that type of stuff, I hate to see it. Jackson mentioned. “I hate
that it was him rushing out the pocket. Wish I could get that back for all of us. I could have been
better.”
McDainiel, who is in his third year as the team’s head coach, prioritized his quarterback’s long
health during his postgame press conference.
“I’m not trying to even look at, okay, well how serious is this relative to his past ones?
McDaniel stated. “I know the facts are that it’s important that he gets healthy day by
day”
While Miami looks to get their season back on track, questions loom about Tagaviloa’s
future and what another concussion means not only for his career, but also his life
outside of football.