The New England Patriots could be facing a shorthanded Miami Dolphins squad in this Sunday’s must-win AFC East matchup at Gillette Stadium.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel announced Monday that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had been placed in concussion protocol, putting his availability for this week’s game in doubt.
Tagovailoa, who is 4-0 against the Patriots in his career, already missed two games with a concussion earlier this season, with the NFL launching an investigation into how that injury was handled. The 2020 first-round draft pick played every offensive snap for Miami in Sunday’s 26-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers, throwing three fourth-quarter interceptions.
If Tagovailoa is not cleared in time for this Sunday’s game, veteran Teddy Bridgewater would start at QB for Miami. Bridgewater has appeared in four games this season with one start, completing 61.7% of his passes (37 of 60) for 522 yards and three touchdowns with three interceptions.
Rookie third-stringer Skylar Thompson also started one game and played in four others. The Dolphins are 0-2 this season when Tagovailoa is unavailable.
Tagovailoa looked like a potential NFL MVP candidate for the first three months of the season (69.7% completion rate, 19 touchdowns, three picks, 8-1 record over his first nine games) but has regressed of late, completing just 52.6% of his passes with six touchdowns and five INTs during Miami’s current four-game losing streak.
The Patriots need a win this week to keep their postseason hopes alive, as a loss would eliminate them from playoff contention. To earn an AFC wild-card spot, New England must either win its final two games (against Miami and at Buffalo) or beat the Dolphins, lose to the Bills and have the Los Angeles Chargers lose all of their last three games.
The Dolphins have taken five straight against the Patriots, with their last loss coming in the 2020 season opener. In the teams’ first meeting this season, New England lost 20-7 at Hard Rock Stadium in Week 1.
Miami surged to an 8-3 start under first-year head coach McDaniel but is winless since the start of December, losing four straight to fall to 8-7. The Patriots sit just one game back at 7-8 and would leapfrog the Dolphins in the standings with a win Sunday.
