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The Miami Dolphins kept their season alive in Week 17 by defeating the Cleveland Browns, and they had to do it without Tua Tagovailoa, who was out for a hip injury. Regarding any type of update on whether Tagovailoa will be able to play next week, head coach Mike McDaniel didn't share much with the media.
“Ultimately he absolutely wanted to play,” McDaniel said via Yahoo Sports. “It wasn’t a pain tolerance thing, because he wanted to. That’s not in the equation for him.
“The main thing was that he not only was super susceptible to a much more significant injury based upon that injury if he were to fall in harm’s way, but a major factor was the lack of strength due to the injury, and his inability, as we forecasted, to protect himself and his teammates within the pocket and doing the things that he normally has to do.”
McDaniel also mentioned that he had no idea if Tagovailoa could play next week, which leaves things up in the air until there's some progress seen at practice over the next few days. In place of Tagovailoa, Tyler Huntley stepped up and put on a solid performance for the Dolphins, and he may have to do it again next week.
Dolphins unsure if Tua Tagovailoa will play next week
With the Dolphins one win away and a Broncos loss away from making the playoffs, they don't know if their starting quarterback will be available next week when they face the New York Jets.
“To even begin to forecast this next week is difficult because we were waiting until the last hour,” McDaniel said. “We’ll be hopeful for that as we progress. I can’t even lean one way or the other really. We’ll see what the world has in store for us.”
Tagovailoa has been solid for the Dolphins when he's played this season with 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He's had some rough injuries this season, but he's been able to bounce back and help the Dolphins get to the finish line and possibly the playoffs. Huntley has stepped in for Tagovailoa when he's been hurt this season, and at first, it wasn't going so well for the backup quarterback. Now, it seems as if he has an understanding of the offense, and he put together a solid performance for the Dolphins to help them stay alive for one more week to have a chance at the postseason.
