Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa 'unlikely' to play with playoff berth at stake due to hip injury
With a playoff berth on the line, the Miami Dolphins are likely to be without starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa against the New York Jets on Sunday.
Head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters in his press conference on Friday that "it is unlikely Tua will see any action."
Tagovailoa being sidelined for the second straight week with a hip injury means the Dolphins' playoff hopes rest in the hands of Tyler "Snoop" Huntley.
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In the Dolphins' 20-3 win over the Cleveland Browns last week, Huntley completed 22–26 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown while running the ball seven times for 52 yards and a rushing touchdown.
In the four games Huntley has started in relief of Tagovailoa, the Dolphins are 2-2.
If the Dolphins beat the Jets, and the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Denver Broncos, then the Dolphins will be the No. 7 seed in the AFC, with a matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
Should the Broncos beat the Chiefs, and as has been widely reported, the Chiefs are resting their starters, then the Broncos will advance regardless of the outcome of the Dolphins-Jets game.
Should the Dolphins make the playoffs, however, Tagovailoa said he will be playing.
"If the cards play out the way they should, and the way we know and think they can, I’m going to be available next week. "There’s no ifs, ands or buts allowed. I’ll be playing. That’s for sure," Tagovailoa told reporters Friday.
With Tagovailoa unlikely to play, his final regular-season stats conclude by completing 72.9% of his passes for 2,867 yards with 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions across 11 games.
Tagovailoa missed time earlier in the season after suffering a concussion against the Bills, in Week 2 and didn’t return to play until the end of October in a loss against the Arizona Cardinals.
Last year was the only time Tagovailoa started every game in a season, as he has missed time with injuries in his five-year career.
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