For the second time this season, a Tua Tagovailoa head damage is being investigated by the NFL.
This one wasn’t practically as apparent because the horrifying one that he suffered towards the Cincinnati Bengals, however the outcome is similar. Tagovailoa is spending his follow week in concussion protocol. On Wednesday the NFLPA introduced that there can be a joint investigation with the NFL into how his most up-to-date head damage was dealt with by the group and the impartial medical professionals.
The present stint is technically solely his second of the season, but when the protocol that started in Week 4 was utilized in Week 3, this could be journey No. 3 to the concussion protocol listing. It was towards the Buffalo Bills when he first appeared to have misplaced his equilibrium after struggling a blow to the pinnacle. It was identified as a again damage, however then the world noticed the fencing response 4 days later.
With two video games left within the common season, Mike McDaniel’s revival of the Miami Dolphins seems to have gone so far as it could this season. They are clinging to a wild-card spot and it’s extremely unlikely that they are going to be capable of maintain on with out Tagovailoa behind middle. Teddy Bridgewater will begin on Sunday towards the New England Patriots.
Even with a pallet-load of talent place expertise, the Dolphins’ backup quarterbacks haven’t been in a position to maintain the offense in Tagovailoa’s absence. Also, Bridgewater suffered a head damage in Week 5.
As a lot hurt as Tagovailoa’s damage does to the Dolphins’ playoff hopes, what is much extra regarding is how Tagovailoa obtained harm and the way this head trauma can have an effect on his profession going ahead.
There was no second throughout that recreation during which he appeared dazed after a play. Maybe his subpar second-half efficiency was affected by the damage, however he by no means stumbled, or was face down on the bottom for an prolonged time period. There was a clip that went viral of the again of Tagovailoa’s head bouncing off of the turf at Hard Rock Stadium late within the second quarter of the Dolphins’ 26-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers. According to ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques, Tagovailoa confirmed no concussion signs till the Monday following the sport.
He’s thought of day-to-day, however the Dolphins ought to preserve him out for a minimum of the rest of this season, playoffs included. Following his earlier damage he was sidelined from the second he was carted off of the sector that Thursday evening towards the Bengals, till 25 days later towards the Pittsburgh Steelers.
If Tagovailoa might return to the sector in 21 days, that might put him on the sector for a wild card recreation if the Dolphins are in a position to clinch a spot, however at this level that might be unwise. Head trauma analysis has proven that struggling a concussion will increase the chance of one other. Whether that is concussion No. 2 or No. 3 this season, if signs didn’t reveal themselves till the day after the damage occurred, the chance is much too nice to place him again on the sector after the flip of the brand new yr.
What if the Dolphins performed in Green Bay final week and he flew on an airplane house from Wisconsin not figuring out that he was concussed? On the airplane again from Cincinnati he wore a neck brace house. What if his head slammed towards the turf once more in that recreation and he suffered a head damage with nobody figuring out concerning the first one?
The alternative the Dolphins have to make for the remainder of this season is to place Tagovailoa on the sidelines, however after his yr of head trauma, it’s affordable to fret about well being by Sept. 2023 and past.