Bills QB Josh Allen Talks 'Tricky' Tua Tagovailoa Concussion: 'It Sucks'
Four days after the Miami Dolphins squeaked past the Buffalo Bills in a thrilling 21-19 win on Sept. 25 at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a violent head injury that shook the NFL in front of a national audience on "Thursday Night Football."
After suffering from disturbingly-visible symptoms of head trauma before being carted off in what ended up being a 27-15 loss for the Dolphins to the Cincinnati Bengals, Tagovailoa quickly became the early-season story of the league regarding the dangers the game presents with head injuries. Getting the start during the short week had already been raising major questions after Tagovailoa had seemingly suffered a head injury in the win over the Bills, an ailment that was later announced by the Dolphins to be a back injury.
After the Bengals loss, Tagovailoa would only miss two games before returning to action. Upon his return, the Dolphins won five straight but have now lost four straight. And in the most recent defeat, a 26-20 Christmas Day loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Tagovailoa entered concussion protocol again in news that became official on Monday. Safe to say that his status for Week 17 is in doubt.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen remains division rivals with the Dolphins and Tagovailoa, but shared his thoughts on the "tricky" injury situation that Tua now finds himself in.
"It's so tricky, it's so delicate." Allen said Tuesday on ESPN's 'Kyle Brandt's Basement.' "No one has the right to say anything about the situation except him ... It sucks. It's a product of what we play and the game that we chose to put our lives on the line for. It's tough. It really is."
Allen understands what's at stake in regards to both the Dolphins' postseason hopes and Tagovailoa's long-term health.
On one hand, Miami will likely need its franchise quarterback in order to win out during the final two weeks of the regular season against AFC East rivals that are hungry and still in the hunt.
On the other, Tagovailoa's future health hangs in the balance. It's an easy choice from Allen's perspective.
"It's a delicate situation," Allen said. "Head injuries are nothing to mess with."
After Tagovailoa's first head injury, many voiced the opinion that he shouldn't suit up again for the rest of the season. This idea only increased following the announcement Monday that he had entered concussion protocol.
Tagovailoa has not yet been ruled out for Sunday's game against the New England Patriots. It remains up to him to admit how he truly feels health-wise, though it's an easy bet that should he feel the effects of another head injury, he could brush it off and try to make a plea to play given his competitive nature and the Dolphins' current chances at the playoffs.
Allen knows that only Tagovailoa has a crucial couple of days in front of him. But all he can do is sit back and hope for the best against a quarterback he's slated to have many more matchups with in the future.
"Nobody knows how he feels but himself," Allen said. "Sometimes you're gonna have to make some really tough decisions ... I'm praying for him because he is such a good person and he's a hell of a football player."
The Bills (12-3) kickoff on Monday night at the Bengals (11-4) at 8:30 p.m. ET while the Dolphins (8-7) and Patriots (7-8) both look to keep playoff hopes alive at 1 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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