Tua Tagovailoa is expected to play Thursday night's game against the Cincinnati Bengals after being listed as questionable following an injury sustained on Sunday.
The 24-year-old stumbled off the field against the Buffalo Bills after being hit by linebacker Matt Milano and knocked to the floor. It looked as though Tagovailoa had suffered a concussion, but Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and the quarterback himself insisted that it was the back trouble that was the issues.
Regardless, unless there's a major setback before the game gets underway then Tagovailoa has passed the NFL 's concussion protocol, and will start against the Bengals. He should be joined by wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and left tackle Terron Armstead too, as they were also listed as questionable.
The injury on Sunday came when Tagovailoa was savagely hit to the deck by Milano, and the quarterback had to sit out briefly after stumbling to the floor once more after picking himself back up. American football analyst Bill Simmons thought it looked as though he'd been 'knocked out by Mike Tyson ' as he was all over the place for a few moments.
"Tua looked like Trevor Berbick when Mike Tyson knocked him out in the mid-80s," Simmons said. "It was like, delayed, he was wobbling around.
"I thought 'that sucks cos he was playing really well. I thought he was really good in the first half. This sucks, this moment is ruined. Then all of a sudden there he is in the third quarter.
"I was surprised. What did they try and say it was? It aggravated a back injury? Oh, that's what happens when you slam your head against the turf?"
But despite the criticism and fears that it was indeed concussion, Tagovailoa has seemingly passed protocol and is in line to start. HC McDaniel made it clear after their 21-19 win against the Bills that his star had already been facing back trouble.
"He kind of got bent back pretty severe on a quarterback sneak earlier," McDaniel said. "When he hit his head on the ground, I assumed it was a head injury, but his legs got wobbly because his lower back was completely loose as he described it."
And his quarterback sided with him, as Tagovailoa added: "Kind of got my legs caught under someone, they were trying to push back and it felt like I hyper-extended my back or something. It kind of hurt. I got up, and that's kind of why I stumbled.
"My back kind of locked up on me. But for the most part, I'm good. Passed whatever concussion protocol they had." It's been a tough week for the Dolphins, with issues away from the field, but on it, they remain 3-0.
