The Miami Dolphins not only suffered a 31-10 defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium, but they were dealt an even bigger blow with the injury to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The focus of the night quickly shifted from the scoreboard to Tagovailoa’s health after a hard hit left the team and fans concerned.

The injury occurred late in the third quarter when the Dolphins were trailing by 21 points. On a fourth-and-4, Tagovailoa tried to extend the drive, diving headfirst into Buffalo’s Damar Hamlin.

Though the Dolphins moved the chains, the play came at a heavy personal cost as Tagovailoa suffered another head injury.

His effort, unfortunately, didn’t translate into points, with Miami’s offense stalling on the next few downs, ultimately turning the ball over after backup quarterback Skylar Thompson was sacked on fourth-and-goal.

Thompson’s opportunity

Thompson, who took over after Tagovailoa exited, expressed visible frustration in the post-game press conference, particularly when asked about his teammate’s condition. At 27 years old, Thompson will now likely shoulder the starting role as Tagovailoa navigates the NFL‘s concussion protocol.

“It makes me sick,” he noted. “In my position [as the backup], you never want the opportunity to come with something like that. Have a lot of love for Tua. Built a great relationship with him.

“And you care about the person more than the player. Everybody in the organization would say the same thing. So really just praying for Tua, and hopefully everything will come out alright.”

Soon after Tagovailoa left the field, the diagnosis of a concussion was confirmed. His injury garnered immediate concern from around the league, with stars like Patrick Mahomes and JJ Watt offering their support on social media.

However, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel provided a measure of relief during his post-game comments, stating that Tagovailoa was alert and in good spirits in the locker room despite the injury.