The Miami Dolphins may be without their starting QB Tua Tagovailoa (hip) for their must-win game against the New York Jets on Sunday.
According to ESPN Dolphins reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques, head coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa is “unlikely” to play in the team’s regular-season finale.
If Tagovailoa cannot play, Tyler Huntley should be in line to make his fifth start since the Dolphins signed him off the Baltimore Ravens practice squad on Sept. 16.
Tagovailoa suffered the hip injury in Miami’s Week 15 loss to the Houston Texans. Although he played through the injury in the Week 16 win over the San Francisco 49ers, Tagovailoa was inactive for the Week 17 tilt with the Cleveland Browns.
Tagovailoa has missed five regular-season games, but when he’s been on the field, he’s been outstanding. His 72.3% completion rate leads the league, and he’s thrown for 19 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.
With the Dolphins at 4-6 and desperate for a turnaround, Tagovailoa averaged 338 passing yards with eight TDs and zero interceptions in Weeks 12-14. The Dolphins improved their record to 6-7 in that stretch and got themselves back into playoff contention.
If Huntley is at QB, not all hope is lost for the Dolphins. Last week against Cleveland, Huntley completed nearly 85% of his passes (84.6%) for 225 yards and a TD. He added 52 yards and a TD on the ground. Before that, when Huntley made three starts while Tagovailoa was out with a concussion, he only completed 59% of his throws for 377 yards with one TD and one interception. If that is the kind of production the Dolphins get on Sunday, it will likely not even matter what the Denver Broncos do.
Miami heads into Week 18 needing a win over the Jets and a Broncos loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. With the AFC’s No. 1 seed locked up, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has clarified that several Kansas City starters will not play in that game. Even so, the pressure is high as the Dolphins pursue a third straight playoff berth.
If the Dolphins somehow make it into the postseason, expect Tagovailoa to be on the field. Per Louis-Jacques, he made it clear that he would be available.
According to NFL.com’s playoff probability, the Dolphins currently have a 10% chance of making the playoffs and only a 21% shot if they defeat the Jets. The Broncos (22%) still have better odds even if they lose to the Chiefs, which shows what the Dolphins face.
That said, the NFL can be unpredictable. The Dolphins will need the version of Huntley from the Week 17 win to take care of business.
If that happens, all eyes will be on Denver with Miami’s playoff hopes in the balance.
