Tua Officially Out for New England Game

Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa will miss a third start this season because of the concussion he sustained against Green Bay on Christmas Day

Alain Poupart | Dec 30, 2022

Tua Officially Out for New England Game /

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Miami Dolphins

It seemed a foregone conclusion all week, but it became official Friday: Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will sit out the Miami Dolphins' Week 17 game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

Head coach Mike McDaniel revealed the news during his pre-practice session, confirming at the same time that Teddy Bridgewater will make his second start for the Dolphins this season.

Tagovailoa remains in the concussion protocol after being injured in the 26-20 loss against the Green Bay Packers on Christmas Day.

McDaniel had indicated Wednesday that he was proceeded at the moment with Bridgewater as the starter for the week, at the same time declining to rule out Tagovailoa because he wanted the focus when it comes to the third-year quarterback from Alabama to be on his health and his day-to-day progress.

This will be the third start Tagovailoa has missed this season, following the Week 5 game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium and the Week 6 game against the Minnesota Vikings at Hard Rock Stadium.

That came in the aftermath of Tagovailoa's first confirmed concussion this season, the scary-looking injury that saw him taken off the field on a stretcher in the second quarter of the Sept. 29 Thursday night game at Cincinnati.

Bridgewater's only start for the Dolphins lasted all of one play because he was pulled by the concussion spotter after being hit by Jets rookie cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner on Miami's first offensive snap.

Bridgewater also took two snaps against Buffalo in Week 3 after Tagovailoa left to be examined for a possible head injury after being shoved to the ground by linebacker Matt Milano before Tua returned in the second half with official word being that his stumbling was due to a back injury.

Bridgewater's two most extensive appearances this season came in that Thursday night game against Cincinnati and against Minnesota when he replaced rookie Skylar Thompson in the second quarter and went on to pass for 329 yards in a 24-16 loss.

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Published Dec 30, 2022

ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of All Dolphins and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press, the Dolphins team website, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated). In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.