Dolphins Lose Tua in Humbling Loss to Bills

The starting quarterback suffered a concussion in the third quarter.

Sep 12, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane (28) scores a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium. / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins lost more than a game Thursday night.

As if the 31-10 beat down by the Buffalo Bills was not bad enough, Miami lost its starting franchise quarterback.

Tua Tagovailoa exited the game in the third quarter with a concussion he suffered after colliding with Bills safety Damar Hamlin after running for a first down. He was in the concussion protocol for six minutes when officials indicated that he was done for the night.

"My initial thought was I was worried about my guy," McDaniel said. "It's not something that you want to be involved with. For me, I'm not worried about anything that's out of my hands. I am just worried about the human being and his day by day health."

Skylar Thompson, who won the backup quarterback position in the preseason, could not move the Dolphins down the field. He finished the game 8-of-14 for 80 yards.

The lone bright spot for Miami was running back De'Von Achane. Starting in place of the injured Raheem Mostert, Achane proved he could do it on the ground and in the air.

Achane had 96 yards on 22 carries. He also caught all seven passes thrown his way for a total of 69 yards, which included a five-yard touchdown reception from Tagovailoa in the first quarter.

The game did not start well, as Tagovailoa threw two interceptions in the first half. He threw a pass intended for Grant DuBose, which hit him in the shoulder pads and bounced into Ja'Marcus Ingram's hands. The next interception was a pass intended for Robbie Chosen, who was elevated off the practice squad earlier Thursday.

Chosen appeared to have cut his route off early. Tagovailoa overthrew Chosen, and Buffalo's Christian Benford intercepted the ball.

It turns out that Ingram was not finished, as he would intercept Tagovailoa for a second time in the third quarter. He returned it 31 yards for the final touchdown of the night. On this interception, Tagovailoa attempted to throw the ball out of bounds, but the throw was not strong enough to get out of bounds.

The Dolphins also played without the left side of their offensive line for most of the second half. Left tackle Terron Armstead went out with a shoulder injury and was replaced by Kendall Lamb. Then left guard Robert Jones also exited the game, replaced by Lester Cotton.