Tua Tagovailoa's comments downplay massive issue affecting the Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins were understandably gutted after dropping the final game of the season and the AFC East to the Buffalo Bills in a 21-14 loss on Sunday night. However, according to Tua Tagovailoa, no one is going to feel sorry for the injury-riddled Dolphins after a titanic collapse to end the season. "It's tough, […]

Craig Smith — College Football & NFL Trending News Writer

Jan 8, 2024 10:47 AM EST

The Miami Dolphins were understandably gutted after dropping the final game of the season and the AFC East to the Buffalo Bills in a 21-14 loss on Sunday night.

However, according to Tua Tagovailoa, no one is going to feel sorry for the injury-riddled Dolphins after a titanic collapse to end the season.

"It's tough, but no one is going to feel sorry for us", Tagovailoa said in his press conference after the game. "There are a lot of other teams that have injuries that are going through some tough deals, so we're not making any excuses. No one is going to make any excuses for us. We've just got to come back next week and be ready."

On one hand, Tagovailoa is correct. No one is going to feel sorry for them, and they shouldn't. Had the Dolphins simply taken care of business with a late 27-13 fourth quarter lead against the Tennessee Titans, we're not even having this discussion. The Dolphins would be getting ready for their first round of playoff action at home in the glow of their first division title in 15 years. There's no excuse for that. That's not an injury issue.

However, it's simply impossible to ignore or downplay what this team has gone through on the injury front, which was magnified with the team's final injury report in Week 18. An absolutely astounding 19 players were on the report. The Dolphins have two Week 1 starting offensive lineman among seven players on injured reserve, including their star center Connor Williams, along with both of their starting edge rushers in Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips. All five Week 1 starting offensive linemen and several key reserves have missed time with injury. Jalen Ramsey missed the first 7 weeks recovering from a knee injury. Xavien Howard has missed multiple games, as has Jevon Holland.

Oh, and for good measure the Dolphins lost two of their backup edge rushers during the loss to the Bills in Andrew Van Ginkel and Cameron Goode.

That's beyond bad luck. That's something else that this author can't put his finger on. Someone sticking pins in a doll somewhere? A power above? In all seriousness, the Dolphins have had a string of injuries unlike any that have been seen in a very long time. Certainly the worst in the league this year by a mile.

And while next man up is a thing, that can only carry you so far. The next guy isn't as good as the next guy, or he'd be starting. And when you start getting to the guys after that? Forget about it.

Look, Tagovailoa is right in one regard. No one cares that the Dolphins have suffered waves of injuries. Fans aren't taking any solace in that right now. However, it's something that simply can't be disregarded when evaluating why the Dolphins have ended up where they're at right now.

It's understandable why Tagovailoa said what he did. He's a competitor, and competitors hate excuses. That's also a safe, standard line. But the Dolphins' health in 2023 – or lack thereof – has been anything but standard.

Now, Tagovailoa, Mike McDaniel, and the rest of the Dolphins have to find a way to keep their season alive with a massively depleted lineup against the Kansas City Chiefs in what's expected to be frigid conditions on Saturday night in Kansas City.