In what is already a tale of two seasons, the Miami Dolphins have lost three straight games heading into a Sunday Night Football matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Just a month ago, the Dolphins were riding high at 3-0, and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was playing like an MVP candidate.
The season’s trajectory took a hit in Week 3, and despite a gritty win against the Buffalo Bills, Tagovailoa was knocked from the game in the first half in what the football world initially thought was a concussion.
Tagovailoa returned from what was clarified as a back/ankle injury instead of a concussion. Then, days later, on a Thursday Night Football game, a sack on Miami’s quarterback against the Cincinnati Bengals left him in a horrifying position on national television.
The Dolphins ended up losing the game, but more importantly, Tagovailoa was released from a Cincinnati trauma center following the injury and did end up traveling back to Miami with the team.
With Tagovailoa sidelined for the last two games, the Dolphins are essentially 0-3 without their third-year quarterback, who’s a first-year captain in 2022. Veteran backup Teddy Bridgewater and rookie Skylar Thompson each got a start in the last two weeks, and each had to relieve the other in those games due to injury.
Bridgewater started against the New York Jets in Week 5, but in a questionable situation, was ruled out of the game following a league spotter’s ruling that he “stumbled” following a knockdown. Ironically, the Tagovailoa situation ten days earlier placed this new ruling in effect, hurting the Dolphins.
Last Sunday, Bridgewater had limited practice time since in concussion protocol, and Thompson got the start against the Minnesota Vikings before the rookie injured his thumb. The veteran went in and played the majority of the game on way to a 16-24 loss.
If a return of Tagovailoa isn’t drama enough for the home Miami crowd in the first Sunday Night game in five seasons for the Dolphins, ex-head coach Brian Flores returns.
Flores is the Steelers’ senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach, and he joins another former Dolphin coming back to Miami in 2018 first-round pick Minkah Fitzpatrick.
If all of this wasn’t enough, the Dolphins will also be honoring the 1972 undefeated team for their 50th anniversary. The legends will be out in full force Sunday Night, as Tua returns, Flores and Fitzpatrick are back and perfection is honored.