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Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been ruled out for the team’s wild card playoff game at the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday.
Tagovailoa will miss his third consecutive game after suffering his second diagnosed concussion of his third NFL season in the Dec. 25 loss against the Green Bay Packers.
Tagovailoa is still not cleared by doctors to return to practice and resume on-field football activities as of Wednesday, McDaniel said.
Backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is working toward a return to starting in place of Tagovailoa after dislocating the pinky finger on his throwing hand in Miami’s Jan. 1 loss to the New England Patriots, but the Dolphins are starting the practice week Wednesday with the approach of third-string rookie Skylar Thompson as the starter.
McDaniel said Tagovailoa hasn’t had setbacks in his progress through concussion protocol, but attributed ruling the quarterback out as early as Wednesday to “compounding variables” as Tagovailoa navigates the five-step process to return to play from concussion. McDaniel last insinuated, on Monday, that Tagovailoa was doing cardiovascular and aerobic exercise, which would indicate he’s in either Phase 2 or early in Phase 3 of the league’s protocol.
The coach added there’s a possibility that Tagovailoa can travel with the team to the Sunday 1 p.m. kickoff in Orchard Park, New York.
This story will be updated.
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