Tua Tagovailoa is really good at offense. Defense? Not so much.
But the Miami Dolphins quarterback put in himself an uncomfortable — and frankly, dangerous — position on Monday night when he decided to try to tackle Los Angeles Rams linebacker Christian Rozeboom after throwing a pick.
4-Times Concussed Tua Tagovailoa Leads With His Head
Tagovailoa is just three games clear of the NFL‘s protocol after an IR stint that followed his fourth diagnosed concussion in five years.
So the last thing Mike McDaniel, Chris Grier, Stephen Ross, and any neurologist in America wanted to see was Tagovailoa leading with his head as he tried to tackle Rozeboom.
The Rams defender’s shin clipped the side of Tua’s head during the collision, sending shivers down the spines of anyone who knows Tagovailoa’s long history of head injuries.
INTERCEPTED!
📺 @ESPNNFL | #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/dRlwcBUzgS
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) November 12, 2024
Thankfully, Tua was fine and bounced back with a marvelous second half, completing 11 of 13 attempts for 120 yards and a touchdown in the Dolphins’ 23-15 win over the Rams.
“I feel good,” Tagovailoa insisted postgame. “Everything’s good.”
“I went up to that dude [Rozeboom] that intercepted me and asked them, ‘Bro, you couldn’t just like ran out of bound or like cut back? It’s like you see me, and I seen you. Like you wanted to just run me over?'”
Tagovailoa continued: “He told me after the game, ‘There’s no room there, like, there was nowhere else to go.’ He gotta do what he’s gotta do to help his team win games.”
“I wasn’t planning on using my head to go hit him.”
It’s true that Rozeboom must do what’s in the best interests of his team, but Tagovailoa has to do the same. And even a pick-six isn’t worth Tua putting himself at risk when a second concussion this season could end his 2024.
Tua and the Dolphins’ offense wasn’t perfect on Monday, but it was good enough. Tagovailoa’s 75.6 QB+ score (good for a C grade) was his second-worst of the season.
But the Dolphins did score on every non-kneel down possession of the second half, and Tua picked up all six of Miami’s third-down conversions with his arm.
“My confidence level from the time I came back against the [Arizona Cardinals] had never wavered from the first game I played against the [Jacksonville Jaguars,]” Tua said postgame. “I think when you’re playing, when you’re out there, the game is too fast for you to think of anything else.
“And if you start thinking of anything else, it’s hard for you to focus on your job. So let’s go out there and play football.”