FOXBORO, Mass. -- With a concussion sidelining Miami Dolphins starter Tua Tagovailoa, the quarterback the New England Patriots will face this Sunday will be both familiar and foreign.
Tagovailoa's backup, Teddy Bridgewater, is a known quantity. He's in his eighth NFL season and has started 64 career games for five different franchises, throwing more than 1,300 career passes.
But this week's game at Gillette Stadium -- a must-win for the Patriots if they hope to remain in playoff contention -- will be Bridgewater's first time ever facing New England. The 30-year-old journeyman has appeared in games against 29 NFL clubs but none against the Patriots.
Despite their lack of direct contact, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said he's long admired Bridgewater, who's in his first season as Miami's QB2
"I've always had a ton of respect for Teddy," Belichick said Wednesday. "I like Teddy. Good athlete, good arm, smart kid, athletic. Presents a lot of the same problems that Tua does."
Bridgewater saw action earlier this season when Tagovailoa missed time with a separate concussion. He suffered an elbow injury on the opening snap of his lone start (a 40-17 loss to the New York Jets in Week 5) but had extended relief appearances in two other games, completing 65% of his passes and averaging 9.0 yards per attempt in losses to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4 and Minnesota Vikings in Week 6.
Belichick said a "high percentage" of Miami's offense has remained the same when Bridgewater has replaced Tagovailoa, saying the biggest difference between the two is the former is right-handed and the latter is a lefty.
"Sure, they are things they'd do specifically for one guy or the other," Belichick said. "But generally speaking, that's the offense."
With Tagovailoa officially ruled out, the Patriots' coaches also will spend extra time this week familiarizing themselves with rookie third-stringer Skylar Thompson, who will be Bridgewater's top backup on Sunday. Thompson, a seventh-round draft pick out of Kansas State, has completed 28 of 53 passes for 278 yards and no touchdowns with two interceptions across five appearances (one start).
"We'll have to do a little bit more work on him," Belichick said. "We've been focused on the other two guys. But they can all run their offense, there's no doubt about it. It's still going to be the same thing."
Regardless of who's behind center, Miami can stress defenses with their elite receiving duo of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who enter Week 17 ranked second and sixth in the NFL in receiving yards, respectively. Hill and Waddle combined for 12 catches for 163 yards and a touchdown in the Dolphins' 20-7 win over the Patriots in Week 1.
"This is a team that can move the ball," Belichick said. "Their production on the first down is extremely good. That's been with a number of different players, quarterbacks, you name it. So, it's a big challenge for us."
The Patriots are looking to snap a four-game losing streak against the Dolphins, with Tagovailoa quarterback Miami in all four of those games. A win Sunday would keep New England in the mix for a playoff berth entering next weekend's regular-season finale in Buffalo.
