Major Concern As Tua Leaves Game with Concussion

Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa was injured at the end of a scramble in the third quarter.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) drops back with the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins' nightmare scenario materialized in their Thursday night game against the Buffalo Bills.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa left the game late in the third quarter with an apparent head injury when he lowered his end and barreled into Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin at the end of a fourth-down scramble for a first down.

Hamlin hit Tagovailoa with a shoulder to the helmet as the quarterback fell forward on a fourth-and-4 play from the Buffalo 13-yard line with Miami trailing 31-10.

Tagovailoa had made it a point over the past two seasons to slide and avoid initiating contact with defenders, but he deviated from that on that play.

Tagovailoa stayed on the ground after the play, with his offensive teammates on one knee as they watched the scene.

After a few minutes, Tagovailoa could walk off the field under his own power but headed straight to the locker room. Not much later, he was ruled out with a concussion.

TUA'S SCARY HISTORY

Concussions, of course, were a major issue with Tagovailoa during the 2022 season when he was officially diagnosed with a concussion twice, including the scary incident in another Thursday night game, that one against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Because of those concussions, Tua missed the final two games of the 2022 regular season and the playoff game at Buffalo, and the possibility of his retirement came up the following offseason.

Tagovailoa avoided concussions or other injuries last season, and he parlayed his full 17-game season into the first Pro Bowl season of his NFL career.

The Dolphins committed to Tagovailoa as their franchise quarterback this summer when they signed him to a four-year contract extension worth $212.4 million in new money.

The Dolphins have a mini-bye this weekend before they return to action against the Seattle Seahawks on September 22nd. Tua's status will undoubtedly become a massive story over the next ten days.