Tua Tagovailoa Injury: Dolphins Will Start Teddy Bridgewater Vs. Patriots

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed what many assumed after the Christmas Day game against the Green Bay Packers.

Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion and will not start this Sunday. It will be Teddy Bridgewater under center against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

This is not the first time the 24-year-old has missed games due to a concussion, and it also isn’t the first time the NFL’s concussion protocol has been under scrutiny.

McDaniel said in his news conference Wednesday the situation with Tagovailoa is “critical,” and he will continue to take the advice of medical professionals on how to handle his quarterback’s status going forward. The first-year Dolphins coach said the QB should “worry about his health first.”

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers believes Tagovailoa should consider shutting it down for the rest of the season, and while McDaniel worried about his QB on a human level, he did not firmly say what Tagovailoa’s future for this season will be.

The Patriots now will get to prep knowing Bridgewater will be under center for Miami. It will be the first time the journeyman quarterback has faced off against New England as both teams will battle it out for the last spot in the AFC wild-card race.

The 30-year-old last started in Week 6 against the Minnesota Vikings. He completed 23 of his 34 pass attempts for 329 yards along with two touchdowns and two interceptions in the loss.