Dolphins HC: ‘No idea’ if Tua will play against Jets with hip injury; Surgery not required | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

The Miami Dolphins may have a chance to clinch a playoff spot in Week 18, but it’s unclear if they will have their starting quarterback under center.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters after Sunday’s win over the Cleveland Browns that he has “no idea” whether quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will be able to return from his hip injury in next week’s game against the New York Jets. McDaniel added that while surgery is not necessary at this point, the game could leave Tagovailoa vulnerable to a serious injury.

McDaniel also noted that Tagovailoa’s injury is “not at all” related to the hip injury he suffered in 2019 while at Alabama. He said Tagovailoa was willing to play through the injury, but he would have risked the possibility of it further aggravating it.

Tagovailoa sat out the Browns as the Dolphins cruised to a 20-3 win with backup quarterback Tyler Huntley at the helm. Huntley threw for 225 yards and a touchdown on 22 of 26 passes and added a team-high 52 rushing yards and another score on seven carries in the win.

Tagovailoa, who also missed time earlier this year due to a concussion, has played in 11 games and thrown for 2,867 yards, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing a career-best 72.9 percent of his passes. His return would certainly give Miami the best chance of success, but the team should also feel comfortable with Huntley if he has to start again in Week 18.

After improving to 8-8, the Dolphins need some help getting into the postseason. Not only do they need to win their game against the Jets, but they also need the Denver Broncos to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs. Based on conference winning percentage, Miami would own the tiebreaker over Denver.