Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa in good spirits upon Miami arrival, nothing broken as further tests coming

Tua Tagovailoa endured a scary moment Thursday night when the Dolphins’ quarterback was carted off the field after suffering head and neck injuries. Tagovailoa, who was labeled questionable heading into the Dolphins’ eventual loss to the Bengals, was hospitalized at a Cincinnati-area hospital before flying back to Miami with his teammates. 

All initial scans involving Tagovailoa’s injuries were negative with nothing broken, according to CBS Sports NFL Senior Insider Josina Anderson, who said the quarterback traveled with a neck brace. Tagovailoa, who is slated to undergo an MRI, was in “good spirits” while being comforted by having family at the hospital, on the flight and when he returned home, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. 

Tagovailoa’s health has been a largely-discussed topic since Miami’s win over Buffalo this past Sunday. During that game, Tagovailoa was seen falling to the ground after suffering a big hit near the end of the first half. He returned to the game shortly thereafter after the Dolphins announced that he had suffered a head injury. After the game, the Dolphins said that Tagovailoa had instead sustained injuries to his back and ankle. 

Despite his condition, Tagovailoa was cleared to play in Thursday night’s game. Afterward, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel fielded questions about his and the Dolphins’ handing of Tagovailoa amid the NFLPA’s ongoing investigation into the matter. 

“That would be irresponsible in the first place, and I shouldn’t be in this position,” McDaniel said when asked if he could have done more regarding Tagovailoa’s injury situation, via The Athletic. “I do not have any — absolutely zero — patience for, or will ever put a player in position for them to be in harm’s way. That is not what I’m about at all, and no outcome of a game will ever influence me being irresponsible as the head coach of the football team.”

With Tagovailoa out, veteran Teddy Bridgewater — who was carted off the field last December after sustaining a concussion in a game against the Bengals — played well in a relief role. Bridgewater admitted that it was initially hard to focus on his job after watching his teammate endure such a scary moment. 

“I knew that I had to just snap (out of it) and try to lead this team to victory,” said Bridgewater, who threw for 193 yards with a touchdown and an interception. “Knowing that so many guys were counting on not only myself but us to just go out there and finish that game and trying to get a win. Ultimately, we came up short.”