IT’S only Week 4 of the NFL season, but it already feels like the end of the world for the Miami Dolphins.
Between Tua Tagovailoa’s concussions and the numerous other injuries on the field, the Miami Dolphins are in for a wild ride the rest of the season.
The Miami Dolphins are off to a disaster start this season[/caption]
The Dolphins are facing a monstrous amount of injuries and other issues[/caption]
The Dolphins sit at 1-2 this season, not an insurmountable record, but ask any fan of the team how they feel about the team’s playoff prospects and they will give you a pessimistic answer.
Miami won their opening game of the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a comeback effort, and the team had a resemblance of its high-powered offense from the previous seasons.
However, things came crashing down in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills.
After playing in every game of the 2023 season, Tua may have gotten overconfident in his sturdiness and lunged for a first down headfirst.
That lunge caused him to get knocked out and suffer the third concussion of his NFL career. Tua was subsequently placed on injured reserve, and there isn’t really a timeline on his return.
The quarterback has maintained that he wants to return to football, but there has been a large population of fans and players urging him to retire for the sake of his long term health.
Tua’s concussions haven’t been minor. The hits he’s taken have been brutal and the concussions look to get worse each time he takes a hit.
He is currently seeking independent neurological evaluations, and time will tell if he returns to playing football.
In the meantime, the Dolphins are trying to stay afloat without their franchise quarterback, but it hasn’t looked pretty.
Week 3 saw the Dolphins face off against the Seattle Seahawks with backup quarterback Skylar Thompson at the helm of the offense, and things went about as poorly as they could.
Miami lost the game 24-3, Thompson got injured during the game, and all hope appears to be slipping away from those in and around the Dolphins.
The injury report for the Dolphins upcoming Week 4 contest is almost comical in how long it is. The team has 11 players listed, with at least five on track to miss the game.
These key players are currently injured for the Fins:
- Terron Armstead – Tackle
- Calais Campbell – Defensive Tackle
- Kendall Fuller – Cornerback
- David Long – Linebacker
- Sirean Neal – Cornerback
- Storm Duck – Cornerback
- Alec Ingold – Fullback
- Raheem Mostert – Running back
- Skylar Thompson – Quarterback
- Malik Washington – Wide receiver
- Jaelen Phillips – Linebacker
The Dolphins are a shell of themselves right now, and head coach Mike McDaniel will need to find an answer to these problems quickly before the season falls completely out of reach.
NFL important dates
August 1 – Hall of Fame Game – Houston Texans vs Chicago Bears
August 8 – Pre-season begins
August 27 – Deadline for 53-man rosters
September 1 – Final day of pre-season
September 5 – Season opener – Baltimore Ravens vs Kansas City Chiefs
November 5 – Trade deadline
January 5 – Week 18 of regular-season
January 11 – Playoffs begin
February 9 – Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, Louisiana
Fans are already giving up on the team, with tickets falling as low as $20 dollars for upcoming games.
That brings us to this week. The Dolphins face off against the 0-3 Tennessee Titans. If they can’t win this game, they won’t be able to win any games without Tua under center.
Former Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley is expected to take over the reps at quarterback, and if he isn’t the answer, don’t expect the Dolphins to win another game until Tua returns, if he returns.
After the Titans, the Dolphins face off against the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals, and the Bills again.
If Tua is not back by the end of that stretch, and the rest of the team doesn’t start toughening up, it’s possible the Dolphins could fall to 2-5 or 1-6.
Who knows what a bad season could mean for the Dolphins’ future, but things are currently rough in Miami and it might take a miracle to set them right.
Tua Tagovailoa is out for his third NFL concussion since the start of 2022[/caption]
