What some thought could have been a strong season for the Miami Dolphins has devolved into one that finds them holding a 2-3 record coming off their bye entering Week 7.
While things could be worse in terms of results, they also have been bad in terms of injuries.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is trying to overcome the third diagnosed concussion of his NFL career, which he suffered in Week 2, and without him, the offense has failed to score more than 15 points.
To make matters worse, a number of other key players have had to deal with injuries, including linebacker Jaelen Phillips, who suffered a partially torn ACL in a Week 4 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
The injury ended his season, and he recently had surgery on the damaged ligament
“Surgery was a success!!! On the road to recovery,” Phillips wrote on X.
Surgery was a success!!! On the road to recovery 🦾
— Jaelan Phillips ;🕴🏾® (@JJPhillips15) October 16, 2024
Phillips, who was the No. 18 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, has emerged as a star for the Dolphins.
Last season, he had 6.5 sacks, 11 quarterback hits and seven tackles for loss in eight games before a torn Achilles put him on the shelf for the rest of the year.
Given Tagovailoa’s situation, the Dolphins will have to lean heavily on their defense to give themselves a real shot at making the playoffs for a third straight season.
But that task will be significantly more difficult without Phillips.
