The Dolphins knew they weren't going to have Jaelan Phillips available Sunday against the Patriots, or for the rest of the season for that matter.
Nonetheless, the news Miami reportedly received before kickoff at Gillette Stadium had to have been deflating.
Roughly five hours before the Week 5 matchup between AFC East rivals, NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported Phillips suffered a partially torn ACL last Monday in the Dolphins' home loss to the Tennessee Titans. The injury will require full ACL construction surgery and Phillips has "a chance" to be ready for the start of next season if all goes to plan, per Rapoport.
Phillips on Wednesday released a statement confirming a season-ending knee injury, but the announcement did not include any details about the issue. The partially torn ACL marked the second serious injury in less than a calendar year for Phillips, who tore his Achilles in late November 2023.
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Of course, the first quarter of Miami's season was highlighted by injuries to key players. Tua Tagovailoa is dealing with the third known concussion of his NFL career and standout linebacker Bradley Chubb remains on the physically unable to perform list due to the torn ACL he suffered in Week 17 last season.
The Patriots and the Dolphins both will try to overcome their rash of injuries Sunday when they meet in Foxboro, Mass.
Featured image via Kirby Lee/Imagn Images
