Tua Tagovailoa is still recovering.
Now, with just one game left in the regular season, all eyes are on whether Tagovailoa will be able to play for the regular season finale against the New York Jets. On Monday, Mike McDaniel provided an injury update that won’t leave Dolphins fans smiling, according to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network.
“Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa status Sunday vs. Jets is ‘gray area, firmly in the unknown,’ per HC Mike McDaniel,” Wolfe reported on X, formerly Twitter. “Tua’s hip injury recovery is ‘all about time.’ Snoop Huntley will get more practice reps than Tua this week.”
McDaniel also said that Tua’s injury did not respond like the team had hoped last week, which is what led to him not playing against the Browns. Miami is currently preparing game plans for both quarterbacks for Sunday, per Wolfe.
Tyler Huntley filled in admirably on Sunday for the injured Tagovailoa. The veteran backup finished the game 22-for-26 with 225 yards, one touchdown, 52 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. While the team would certainly prefer to have Tagovailoa healthy and available, Huntley showed enough on Sunday to give Dolphins fans confidence that he can get the job done if needed against a Jets team that has officially hit rock bottom after a 40-14 drubbing at the hands of the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
Dolphins have realistic playoff hopes no matter who is at QB
Regardless of whether Tua Tagovailoa is able to go on Sunday against the Jets, the Dolphins will be a strong favorite to get a win and keep their playoff hopes alive again. However, this week they will need some help.
The Dolphins can only get into the postseason with a win over the Jets and a loss by the Denver Broncos against the Kansas City Chiefs. On paper, that may seem likely, but the Chiefs have the option to rest all of their starters after locking up the top seed in the AFC.
While the Dolphins can still get past the Jets — who were down 40-0 at one point on Sunday against the Bills — without Tagovailoa, they would have almost no hope in any sort of playoff game. Tagovailoa’s precision and anticipation are crucial parts of this Dolphins offense, and while the explosive element that the team has had in recent years is gone, his skills are still vital in operating the offense.
Tagovailoa has a level of efficiency as a processor that Huntley just doesn’t have, and he operates the offense with that point guard style that makes it so that all of the Dolphins’ weapons can make plays and the offense is much more consistent and efficient. With Huntley, you get more of the negative plays without the reward of explosive ones. For that reason, the Dolphins need Tagovailoa back for the playoffs.
