Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes appeared to be watching the Bills–Dolphins Thursday Night Football matchup on September 12 and reacted to Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa‘s concussion in real-time. Mahomes reacted to the injury with a post on X — formerly Twitter — which included a string of prayer hands emoji.
The injury occurred late in the third quarter of Miami’s 31-10 loss to Buffalo. On a 4th-and-4 play inside the Bills’ red zone, Tagovailoa dropped back to pass, moved up in the pocket, and then ran for the first down. When Bills safety Damar Hamlin made contact with Tagovailoa, Hamlin’s knee hit Tagovailoa’s head, which caused it to snap back before it hit the ground. Tagovailoa was visibly in pain on the field, and teammates began taking a knee while the training staff rushed onto the field to aid Miami’s QB.
Shortly after, Tagovailoa was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Mike McDaniel Expresses Concern for Tua After Game
When asked for an update on Tagovailoa after the game, head coach Mike McDaniel was less focused on Tagovailoa’s injury timeline and more focused on his well-being.
“Right now, I’m not really — it’s more about getting a proper procedural evaluation tomorrow and taking it one day at a time,” McDaniel said of Tagovailoa during his press conference on September 12. “The furthest thing from my mind is what is the timeline. I want to know — we just need to evaluate and I’m just worried about my teammate, like the rest of the guys are. We’ll get more information and take it day by day from there.”
Thursday marked the third time since September 2022 that Tagovailoa has sustained a concussion, which is why McDaniel’s concern level was high after the game. His last concussion, which occurred in December 2022, put his entire football career in jeopardy.
X Users Reacted to Tua Tagovailoa’s Concussion vs. Bills
X users reacted to Tagovailoa suffering a concussion in Week 2.
“1st and foremost I want to say how sorry I am for Tua, I feel for the guy,” one person wrote. “This is his 3rd major concussion of his NFL career. It’s time to have that heavy discussion about his long term health and whether this is all worth it.”
“This is at least the 3rd maybe 4th time we’ve seen Tua in this shape,” another person wrote. “Yeah he should’ve slid, but he’s gotta think about the long term for his life. So much life ahead of him, this is terrible to see again.”
“This hurts to watch. If he continues to play, I hope he considers the guardian cap Josh Whyle is using with the Titans. Could be the difference between playing 10 more minutes, or 10 more years,” another person wrote.
“Is there not a single person within the entire dolphins organization that has taught this man that he needs to give himself up and slide? I’m genuinely upset that he gets so greedy and potentially lost a season/career over 2 yards,” another person wrote.
“Sad to see especially with his history of concussions. He will need a couple of weeks before he thinks of returning. The big question is will he become the first QB to wear the ‘guardian cap’,” another person wrote.
