Teddy Bridgewater Says Tua Tagovailoa's Injury Was 'Very Scary'; Talks Replacing QB

Miami Dolphins quarterback Teddy Bridgewater commented Thursday night on watching Tua Tagovailoa exit the game against the Cincinnati Bengals with a concussion and having to replace him afterward.

According to ProFootballTalk's Josh Alper, Bridgewater called Tua's injury "very scary," and noted that it wasn't easy to step in for Tagovailoa since he thought back to the same Bengals team knocking him out of a Week 15 game last season with the concussion while he was playing for the Denver Broncos:

"For me, personally, there was a lot going through my mind, honestly. Given that against the same team I was carted off the field, so a lot just going through my mind, but I knew I just had to snap and try and lead this team to a victory. So many guys were counting on, not only myself, but us to go out there and finish that game, and try to get a win, and ultimately we came up short."

Bridgewater played well and had the Dolphins in front by a 15-14 score early in the fourth quarter, but the Bengals came from behind to win 27-15, handing Miami its first loss of the season.

During the second quarter, Tagovailoa was slammed hard on to the turf in the midst of a sack by Bengals defensive lineman Josh Tupou. Tagovailoa's elbow hit the ground before his head and neck followed.

Tua's arms and hands seized up, and he remained down on the field for 10 minutes before he was stretchered off and taken to the hospital.

Per ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques, the Dolphins announced shortly after he was taken to the hospital that Tagovailoa was alert and had all feeling in his extremities. It was later reported that Tua avoided structural damage and flew back to Miami with the team on Thursday night.

The Dolphins were highly criticized by media members and fans on social media for allowing Tagovailoa to play Thursday after he seemingly suffered a head injury in the team's Week 3 win over the Buffalo Bills.

Late in the second quarter of that game, Tua shook his head and stumbled to the ground after getting pushed to the turf by linebacker Matt Milano and hitting his head.

The Dolphins initially announced that he was evaluated for a head injury, but he was allowed to re-enter that game, and the team said afterward that Tua was actually dealing with a back injury, which is what caused him to fall.

Many were skeptical of that explanation, and the criticism grew louder on Thursday when Tua was confirmed to have suffered a head injury.

Tagovailoa entered the 2022 season knowing it was a make-or-break campaign for him after up-and-down results during his first two years in the league. He responded by leading the Dolphins to a 3-0 start, which included a comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2, which saw him throw for 469 yards and six touchdowns.

After Tua left Thursday's game, Bridgewater completed 14 of his 23 passing attempts for 193 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Assuming Tagovailoa misses some time, the Dolphins will lean on Bridgewater as their replacement starter for the time being.