Tua Tagovailoa might have played the second half vs Packers with a concussion

Tagovailoa had entered in the league’s concussion protocol a day after a loss to Green Bay.

According to ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa “displayed and admitted to having concussion symptoms” on Monday, one day after the Dolphins’ 26-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers. He is now in the concussion protocol, which he’s already visited during the 2022 season. Earlier this year, he was hospitalized for a blow he took during the Cincinnati Bengals game in Week 4, which lead to him being in the protocol for the next two weeks.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter speculated that Tagovailoa’s concussion occurred on a play in the second quarter when the Dolphins still held a 20-10 lead over the Packers. Green Bay would then go on a 16-0 run from that point forward. Tagovailoa never missed a snap in the game.

The alleged play was the final pass attempt for Tagovailoa in the first half, as running back Raheem Mostert would fumble the ball on the next play for the Dolphins. The quarterback finished the half with a stat line of 12 pass attempts for nine completions (75 percent completion percentage), 229 yards (19 yards per pass) and a touchdown. In the second half, Tagovailoa threw 13 passes for 7 completions (54 percent), 81 yards (6 yards per pass) and three interceptions.

After the game, Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander went viral for his post-game comments on his defense’s effort in the second half. In his own words, Alexander was thinking, “Wow, is he really overthrowing it,” when he plucked his interception from Tagovailoa early on in the fourth quarter.

If Tagovailoa did or didn’t play with a concussion in the second half is up for debate, at least until the Dolphins confirm or deny it. The win did keep the Packers in the playoff hunt, though, as they head into a virtual must-win matchup with their NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings this week. Green Bay nearly controls their own destiny now, as they simply need the Washington Commanders to lose a game or the New York Giants to lose both of their games to open the door on the Packers making the playoffs by taking care of business in the final two weeks of the season.