2 days Ago By Tyler DeSena
The Miami Dolphins are facing an early elimination against the New York Jets. If Miami loses OR Denver defeats Kansas City on Sunday, the Dolphins will miss the playoffs for the first time in Mike McDaniel’s tenure. Miami is likely looking to Tyler Huntley to start his fifth game of the season, as Tua Tagovailoa has been limited in practice for the second straight week.
This situation is nothing new for the Tagovailoa-led Dolphins. If it were to carry into a playoff berth, it would continue a trend that has haunted the team’s recent history . The Miami Dolphins have made the playoffs three times in the last ten seasons (2016, 2022, 2023).
Two of those appearances featured backup quarterbacks after the starter suffered a serious late-season injury that kept them out of the postseason. December Injuries On December 11th, 2016, Ryan Tannehill ‘s breakout season was cut short by a knee injury. This injury launched Matt Moore into the starting lineup for the remainder of the season, which closed with a 30-12 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card game.
This scenario virtually played out the same way in Miami’s next playoff appearance. Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion on Christmas Day, 2022. Ultimately, this placed Skylar Thompson under center for a Wild Card matchup with the Buffalo Bills.
While Tagovailoa started Miami’s Wild Card game last season, a pattern is starting to form. 2023 was the first time a Miami starting quarterback played a complete season since 2015. This means eight of the last nine Dolphins seasons have featured two or more starting quarterbacks.
This has long plagued postseason hopes, relegating Miami to the “In The Hunt” side of the playoff graphic for years. They face a similar bout this season, and even with a shot to get in, health has not been on the side of their signal caller. Despite Tua Tagovailoa’s statement that there are no “ifs, ands, or buts ” about his playing in a potential Wild Card matchup, the question mark remains for someone who has battled injury all season.
Even with Miami paying Tagovailoa, the team continues to find themselves in quarterback controversy. However, this isn’t the usual position battle. Rather, it is a struggle between a team and the injury report.
Miami is 25-13 in Tagovailoa’s complete games during the McDaniel era. However, missing substantial time in 2022 and 2024 has forced the team to play nearly perfect football in his absence. They have been unable to meet this standard, and regardless of the reason for that, they face a similar outlook: being on the outside looking in.
Taking the Final Step.
