Dolphins turn to Tagovailoa with Brissett hurt
The Dolphins did not want to use Tua Tagovailoa on Thursday. An injury to Jacoby Brissett in the third quarter forced their hand.
On the third play from scrimmage in the second half, Justin Houston burned Liam Eichenberg to sack Brissett on the third down. The quarterback went down hard and grabbed at his right knee after the 10-yard loss before he hobbled off the field and into the medical tent on the Dolphins’ sideline at Hard Rock Stadium.
While Brissett tried to get loose on the sideline, Tagovailoa took over to lead Miami’s second drive of the second half.
Brissett is questionable to return with a knee injury, the team announced. He was cleared to return, Fox reported, but Flores opted to go with Tagovailoa instead.
Tagovailoa was relegated to backup duty for the second straight game because of a fractured finger on his left hand. Tagovailoa fractured his middle finger in the Dolphins’ Halloween loss to the Buffalo Bills, and it kept him from starting Sunday against the Houston Texans, although Miami did make him active to serve as Brissett’s backup. On a short week, the Dolphins stuck with the same plan Thursday, believing Tagovailoa, even at less than 100 percent, was better than any of their practice-squad options.
Coach Brian Flores said Tagovailoa’s issue was an inability to make all the necessary throws, particularly down the field, because of his injured finger.
The fractured finger was the second injury to force Tagovailoa to miss time this year. The quarterback also missed three games earlier in the season with fractured ribs, forcing Brissett to take over for nearly a month. Tagovailoa returned last month and put together two solid performances against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons before getting hurt again in New York.
Tagovailoa, who was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, was 103 of 157 for 1,040 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions in five games — all starts — entering
this week.
WILLIAMS RETURNS TO STARTING LINEUP
After being inactive in each of the last two games, wide receiver Preston Williams returned to action Thursday and even got the starting nod for Miami.
Last month, Williams did not travel with the Dolphins to New York for their game against the Bills because of a violation of team rules. He didn’t
suit up for Miami’s win against the Texans on Sunday, either, although Flores did not specify a reason. On Thursday, the Dolphins gave the thirdyear wideout another shot.
Williams, who joined Miami as an undrafted free agent in 2019, has had a rocky start to his NFL career, flashing major potential while struggling to remain on the field consistently. As a rookie in 2019, Williams caught 32 passes for 428
yards in eight games before a season-ending injury. In his second season, Williams caught 18 passes for 288 yards and again played in only eight games because of injury.
This year, Williams has played in only four games, and his start Thursday was only his second of the season. With wide receivers Will Fuller V and DeVante Parker injured, there are now opportunities for Williams, though, if he can stay healthy
himself.
FINALLY, BIG PLAYS
The Dolphins became the second to last team to break off a play of 50 yards or more Thursday when Brissett hit wide receiver Isaiah Ford for a 52-yard completion in the last minute of the first half. Ford got open on a coverage bust and Brissett made an easy throw to the wide receiver to set up the Dolphins for a late field goal, which sent Miami into halftime with a threepoint lead.
And then Tagovailoa hit Albert Wilson for a 64yard gain late in the fourth quarter that led to Miami’s second touchdown.
Baltimore was the only other team without a 50yard play this season.
LITTLE INACTIVE
After Flores said there were a lot of discussions about giving playing time to Greg Little amid continued struggles along the offensive line, the Dolphins opted to make the offensive tackle inactive on a short week. Miami also deactivated safety
Sheldrick Redwine, linebacker Darius Hodge, cornerback Elijah Campbell and rookie tight end
Hunter Long.