Tua Tagovailoa Out With Concussion, Skylar Thompson To Start Against Bills

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will not play in the team’s playoff game against the Buffalo Bills due to a concussion. Head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed Tagovailoa’s status during Wednesday’s press conference.

“He, himself, is learning that he needs to listen to the advice of doctors and medical professionals,” McDaniel said. “He understands the severity of doing that, so there’s a little bit of things that he can’t control.”

With Teddy Bridgewater still tending to his own injury, third-string quarterback Skylar Thompson is in line to start against Buffalo. Thompson has been Miami’s default backup recently, but the Dolphins have struggled under Thompson and failed to regain momentum after a hot start to the season.

The task ahead for the Dolphins would have been difficult with or without Tagovailoa under center, as Josh Allen and the Bills have been a dominant force all season and are considered major contenders to win the Super Bowl. Miami is coming off a win in Week 18, but it’s difficult to argue that the team’s scrappy 11-6 victory over the Jets has prepared Thompson for this playoff matchup.

This is the second time this season that Tagovailoa has formally been diagnosed with a concussion, having suffered a head injury in Week 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Before and after that injury, he was responsible for eight of the Dolphins’ nine wins in 2022. He has not appeared since the team’s Christmas Day game against the Packers when he played all four quarters of a 26-20 loss despite suffering another head injury during the contest.

“It is very frustrating for him to not be able to go through everything with his teammates and really it was a huge goal of his to help get this team to the playoffs and he wants to play in the playoffs,” McDaniel said. “There’s nothing more fun than playoff football and he really finds normal football fun. So very conflicting I would say, but (Tua) understands that it’s his best interest that the doctors and medical professionals are seeking and respects and regards that. So that was about it.”