After snapping their three-game losing streak against the Patriots in New England last week, the Dolphins will take on the Colts next weekend as they return from their bye week this season. This bodes good news for the Phins, who have missed their star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa dearly. The Dolphins have lost three games without Tua starting from the center.

Offering a positive update on his recovery from concussion suffered in week 2 against the Bills, head coach Mike McDaniel said, “I do expect him to be playing football in 2024.” After his thoughts, Dolphins WR Jayden Waddle shared his excitement with the star QB’s probable return, “You know, Tua’s our leader and captain. So having him back at any point in time will be lovely.” 

Although there aren’t any confirmations yet, such news about Tua would be a huge boost, considering the way he got concussed for the third time in his career. Tagovailoa showed signs of fencing in his latest concussion, as it had a similarity with the first one he suffered against the Bengals in 2022. Within a few months that year, on Christmas, the Dolphins QB went through another concussion against the Packers that showed the severity of head injuries he had been fighting through.

With Tua still placed on the Injury reserves, he could start practicing with his teammates as the 26-year-old is in “the final stages” of his concussion protocol. Even such a small update is major news for everyone in Miami, as McDaniel previously shared that he had “zero idea” when Tua would return on the pitch.

For the two games he played this season, Tagovailoa completed 64.5 % of his passes for 483 yards while adding two TDs. However, the Dolphins QB was also sacked 4 times while throwing three interceptions before getting concussed in week 2. His absence has led to the Dolphins suffering a major dent in their ambitions of qualifying for the playoffs.

Miami Dolphins continue to struggle without Tua Tagovailoa in the middle

The Dolphins were leading the NFL yardage last season, but this time around, things have fallen off massively for them. Occupying the 21st position in terms of yards covered, the Dolphins are nowhere near their expectations at the beginning of this season. They are even averaging just 12.3 points per game, which is among the lowest in the NFL.

Having signed Tyler Huntley from the practice squads of the Baltimore Ravens, he started his second game in a row last week. Over the two games he played in Tua’s absence, Huntley has racked up 372 yards while possessing a league-high 24 first downs. Showing little improvement against the Patriots, the Dolphins ran the football for 41 times, which caught their opposition off-guard.

Sharing the formula of success last week, RB Raheem Mostert said, “We’re just trying to get back to the basics and the understanding of the offense and I think this past game definitely showed that.” But the question is, will they be able to continue their positive momentum from New England last week as they prepare to take on the Colts in Indianapolis? Guess we will find out soon as more updates start coming through about Tua’s inevitable return within a few weeks.