The Miami Dolphins kept their playoff hopes alive with a win against the Cleveland Browns in Week 17. Now the Dolphins can reach the postseason with a victory over the New York Jets and a Denver Broncos loss in Week 18. However, the team will likely enter this must-win matchup without starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
The fifth-year passer is expected to miss the Dolphins’ season finale against the Jets, per NFL insider Tom Pelissero on X. Miami has elevated Skylar Thompson, who will function as Tyler Huntley’s backup Sunday.
Tagovailoa is still dealing with a lingering hip injury. The ailment first popped up ahead of the Dolphins’ Week 16 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. The previous week, Tua had one of the worst games of his career, turning the ball over four times in a demoralizing loss to the Houston Texans. While he played against the 49ers he was forced to sit out Week 17’s matchup with the Browns. Now Tua is set to miss a second straight game.
The Pro Bowl signal caller was sidelined earlier in the season after landing on the injured reserve with another concussion. The Dolphins initially turned to Thompson to fill in for Tagovailoa during his four-week absence. But after back-to-back poor showings, Miami changed course and handed the offense over to Huntley.
The Dolphins need to win without Tua Tagovailoa and get help to reach the playoffs
Huntley is expected to make his second-straight start in place of Tagovailoa on Sunday. In four appearances for the Dolphins this season, Huntley has completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 602 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He’s added 119 rushing yards and two more scores on 23 carries.
Miami’s decision to elevate Thompson for the matchup against the Jets is a strong signal that Tua will sit out the season finale. The team followed the same pattern last week, adding Thompson to the active roster a day before playing the Browns.
Should the Dolphins beat the lowly Jets in Week 18 and sneak into the playoffs, Tagovailoa has promised to play. But before he can tough it out in the Wild Card round, Huntley needs to take care of business against New York and the Broncos need to lose the Kansas City Chiefs.
While that would normally be a reasonable outcome to expect, considering KC’s sterling 15-1 record, the Chiefs have already locked up the AFC’s top seed and a first-round bye. So Kansas City will likely rest a laundry list of starters for the season finale, including Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
