The Dolphins have no idea if Tua Tagovailoa will play in the Finals

CLEVELAND – Surgery is not currently scheduled for Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who missed Sunday’s 20-3 win over the Cleveland Browns because of a hip injury.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa suffered the injury in Week 15 against the Houston Texans and was able to play through it last week against San Francisco. However, the injury aggravated during a game against the 49ers and things didn’t go as the team had hoped last week.

Tagovailoa was limited in both of Miami’s practices before Sunday’s game and was downgraded to doubtful on Saturday.

“You try to predict how things are going to heal based on the only thing you have to work with, which is the previous week’s forecast,” McDaniel said. “So we were hoping and expecting a similar schedule and as the week went on we didn’t see the improvement we were hoping for. … At the end of the day, he really wanted to play. It wasn’t a problem.” A matter of tolerance; that was out of the question for him.

“…The main thing was that not only was he very vulnerable to a much more serious injury based on this injury if he were to get into danger, but an important factor was the lack of strength due to the injury and himself .” We assume that he is unable to protect himself and his teammates by doing the things he normally needs to do.

After playing in all 18 games in 2023, Tagovailoa has now missed a career-high five regular-season games this year. McDaniel said that while surgery is not considered necessary at this time, he has “no idea” whether Tagovailoa will play in next weekend’s regular-season finale against the New York Jets.

The Dolphins coach confirmed that Tagovailoa’s hip injury is not related to the compound fracture he suffered during his final season at Alabama in 2019.

Tagovailoa told reporters Thursday that his injured hip feels “fine,” and he described the issue as typical wear and tear at this point in the season. Defensive lineman Calais Campbell said the quarterback told him Thursday that the team needed to “take me out of the game” and that he planned to play against the Browns.

However, Campbell said he could tell based on Tagovailoa’s representatives at Friday’s practice that the quarterback likely wouldn’t play.

Backup Tyler Huntley started against the Browns and completed 22 of 26 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another 53 yards and a touchdown.

In his fourth start of the season, Huntley said he is now more comfortable with the offense after spending three months in it.

“I actually know what the moves are and I have a good feel for the plays right now,” Huntley said. “So, yeah, a few weeks on offense definitely makes a difference.”

The Dolphins hit .500 for the first time since Week 2. Next week, they can clinch a third playoff spot with a win over the Jets and a Denver Broncos loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, who have secured the AFC’s No. 1 seed and will likely give their starters a break.

Campbell, a Colorado native, joked that he would be a “big Chiefs fan” for the first time in his life. He said the Dolphins could win games with the way Huntley played Sunday.

“It’s never over until it’s over,” Campbell said. “There are always possibilities and who knows – I mean, it might not happen. That’s part of it. But we have to go out to the stadium and if it happens, be careful.”

“We come.”