Tua Tagovailoa’s Week 4 ended early after he was stretchered off the field with head and neck injuries following a frightening hit in the second quarter of the Dolphins’ eventual 27–15 loss to the Bengals on Thursday Night Football.
After the game, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel explained the decision to play Tagovailoa, who was officially cleared to play two hours before kickoff after being listed as questionable due to a back injury. McDaniel first followed up on an encouraging update from the team regarding the quarterback’s status and told reporters Tagovailoa is in concussion protocol but had been cleared to travel back with the team.