Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins on the partnership with Mike McDaniel
Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins on the partnership with Mike McDaniel
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa left the NFL game between the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills on Thursday after suffering a nasty blow to the head in the third quarter.
Tagovailoa, who is in his fifth season with the Dolphins, fought his way to a first down on fourth-and-4 late in the third quarter and his helmet slammed into the shoulder pads of Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin. Tagovailoa lay on the ground for several moments before leaving the game under his own power and heading to the locker room.
REQUIRED READING: Tua Tagovailoa has suffered several concussions in the past. Is the Miami Dolphins quarterback prone to injury?
At the time of the injury, Miami trailed Buffalo 31-10 as Tagovailoa struggled to complete 17 of 25 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown, along with three interceptions, one of which was a pick-six in the third quarter.
Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension in the offseason and has suffered numerous head injuries throughout his career.
Here’s everything you need to know about Tagovailoa’s injury, including the timeline of his concussion:
REQUIRED READING: Tua Tagovailoa suffers a concussion in the Miami Dolphins’ game against the Buffalo Bills
How many concussions did Tua Tagovailoa have? Injury history
Tagovailoa, who suffered a head injury during Thursday Night Football against the Bills, has now suffered three concussions in his NFL career, with Thursday’s injury being the third.
Tagovailoa’s first confirmed NFL concussion occurred during the 2022 season, during a scary moment on Thursday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4. The game was the subject of controversy because Tagovailoa fell hard to the turf four days earlier against the Bills in what was initially thought to be a head injury but later revealed to be a back ailment. Tagovailoa returned to action in Week 3 against the Bills.
That moment led to the NFLPA firing the independent neurologist who was involved in clearing Tagovailoa to return to play in the second half of the Week 3 game.
Tagovailoa then suffered another concussion in Week 16 against the Green Bay Packers, causing him to miss the final two games of the season, including one playoff game. Tagovailoa returned to the game in the second half against the Packers and threw three interceptions. The concussion was not determined until after the game.
It is unclear if he ever suffered a concussion before his college career at Alabama.
Latest news on Tagovailoa’s injury
Tagovailoa left Thursday’s game against the Buffalo Bills with a head injury and, according to Amazon Prime’s broadcast, will not play again. The Dolphins later ruled that Tagovailoa suffered a concussion.
Tagovailoa took a hard hit to the head after gaining a first down on fourth-and-4. He lay on the ground for several moments before leaving the game under his own power and heading to the locker room without a helmet.
Tua Tagovailoa official concussion total
Tagovailoa has suffered three concussions in his career, two during the 2022 season and the third on Thursday night against the Buffalo Bills.
