Sustaining his third concussion last month, Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa left the retirement rumors behind to take the field on Oct 27th. It was his first game back from the concussion he suffered against the Bills in week 2. Although it was a comeback that few people could have predicted, his return did prove Tagovailoa’s resilience to get back on the field.

While it was a moment to cherish as Tua stepped back into the gridiron, his mother clapped back against his possible haters. Taking to X, Diane Tagovailoa posted, “Good morning to everyone, even those who CHOOSE hate ✌🏽As for me & my house, we will serve the Lord ♥️🤙🏽🇺🇸” with the #raising champions.” Although there were mostly prayers that manifested Tua’s safe return to the field. There were a few haters in her comments who wrote, “I hope Tua DIES on his next brutal hit.”

Reading through those comments could have been the reason behind Diane taking such a stance for his son. However, there was a moment in the Cardinals clash where Tagovailoa sealed a crucial first down by sliding safely against the oncoming Cardinals CB Starling Thomas V.

Seeing him making it out safely, there was a fan who tucked in their “SLIDE TUA, SLIDE” placard. There were also chants of Tua, Tua, Tua as he made his way into the Hard Rock Stadium. Although it seemed like Tagovailoa did go with the right approach if you remember his week 2 collision with Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin. That moment could have resulted in something similar if Tua didn’t go for a different approach.

Playing his first snaps in five weeks, Tagovailoa spoke about him waiting for this day: “I’ve been preparing for five weeks as if I were to play while I was on injury reserve. So it felt normal coming out there.” Even the fans were visibly excited to see their star QB make his return to the field, “I’m glad I came to this game.”

There was another fan named Brandon Derber, who iterated the Dolphins QB’s wishes to keep playing football despite the chance of injuries, “If he wants to keep playing football. He should keep playing football so, and I think honestly the way he’s acting, he wants to perform pretty well.” Although Tua did return to the starting 11, the Dolphins haven’t been able to capitalise on his comeback.

Tua Tagovailoa Dolphins cling on to slim hopes after Bills defeat

Without Tua, the Phins weren’t able to even cross the 20-point margin for their last five games. However, with Tagovailoa, they scored 27 against the Cardinals and 27 against the Bills. But each of those games didn’t end the way they would have wanted. Tagovailoa played one of the best games of his career, as he completed 89% of his passes. It was a clash that must have given him some serious flashbacks. As the Bills were the last team whom he faced before succumbing to his third concussion.

However, there was no stopping the Dolphins QB as he threw for 231 yards with 2 TDs. Well, it still wasn’t enough, as the Dolphins lost their sixth game in a row against the Bills. This led to Tua voicing his frustration after the game, “Regardless of where we play them, whether it’s here or in Hard Rock, we’ve got to find a way to beat them.” But their head coach, Mike McDaniel, did have a positive view of the performance his boys gave in Buffalo.

“I think the team recognizes that they played a better brand of football, so the challenge is whether or not that helps or hurts you. And I really believe in all the guys in the locker room to make sure that although it’s difficult. You have to take it for what it is, apply the growth towards the next opponent.” As the Dolphins prepare to take on the Rams next week, they must come back positive from Los Angeles. Otherwise, Tua Tagovailoa’s return from a career-ending injury wouldn’t mean anything if the Dolphins fail to show any character whatsoever.