The result is the same, even though this one wasn't as obvious as the frightening one he suffered. Tagovailoa is taking a break from practice. There will be a joint investigation by the NFL and the NFL Players Association into how his most recent head injury was handled.
The current stint is technically only his second of the season, but if the protocol that began in Week 4 was applied in Week 3, this would be trip number three. He appeared to have lost his equilibrium after being hit in the head. The world saw the fencing response after it was diagnosed as a back injury.
The revival of the Miami Dolphins appears to have gone as far as it can this season with two games remaining. It is highly unlikely that they will be able to hold on without Tagovailoa. Teddy will start in the game against the Pats.
The backups haven't been able to sustain the offense in Tagovailoa's absence. There was a head injury for Teddy in Week 5.
As much harm as Tagovailoa's injury does to the Dolphins' playoff hopes, what is more troubling is how Tagovailoa got hurt and how this head trauma can affect his career in the future.
During that game, there was no moment in which he appeared to be in a daze. His subpar second-half performance may have been affected by the injury, but he never stumbled or was face down on the ground for an extended period of time. The back of Tagovailoa's head bounced off the turf at Hard Rock Stadium in the second quarter of the Dolphins' 26-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Tagovailoa did not show concussion symptoms until the Monday after the game.
The Dolphins should keep him out for the rest of the season and the playoffs. He was out for 25 days after his previous injury because he was carted off the field against the Cincinnati.
It would be foolish to put Tagovailoa on the field for a wild card game if the Dolphins make the playoffs. Head trauma research shows that people who suffer a concussion are more likely to suffer another one. If symptoms didn't show up until the day after the injury, the risk of him returning to the field after the new year is too great.
If the Dolphins played in Green Bay and he flew home from Wisconsin not knowing he was concussed, what would happen? He was wearing a neck brace on the plane. If he slammed his head against the turf again in that game, nobody would know about the first one.
It is reasonable to worry about Tagovailoa's health after his year of head trauma, but the Dolphins need to put him on the sideline.
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