The Miami Dolphins pulled out a tight win over the New England Patriots in Week 1.
From there it has just been bad news.
The Week 2 NFL box scores show an ugly 35-0 defeat against the Buffalo Bills.
But it gets worse because that game saw quarterback Tua Tagovailoa get knocked out early with a rib injury.
Jacoby Brissett came in and the Dolphins could not score a single point.
While Brissett was expected to start Week 3, the team made it official that Tagovailoa is headed to injured reserve.
Sources: The #Dolphins are placing QB Tua Tagovailoa on Injured Reserve, meaning he’ll miss three games. The hope is he returns from his broken ribs at that point. But it’s Jacoby Brissett’s show for the next three games.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 25, 2021
This news means the lefty is out for a minimum of three games.
Tough Start To The Year
This is obviously not the way the Dolphins wanted to begin the season.
Rumors continue to swirl around the franchise about interest in making a trade for Deshaun Watson.
But head coach Brian Flores made it a point before the season to back Tagovailoa as his quarterback.
This injury just opens up the floodgates further in terms of rumors and speculation.
It’s pretty clear at this point that Steve Ross wants to bank his legacy as a Dolphins owner on Deshaun Watson and we are spinning wheels until it happens.
— Five Reasons Sports (@5ReasonsSports) September 24, 2021
Tagovailoa returning after three games should help lessen the speculation.
He was the No. 5 overall pick in 2020 and did enough in Week 1 to help his team win.
The tough part with evaluation is that he has just not played all that much.
He split time with Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2020 as a rookie and played one game this year before going down.
The former top pick deserves a fair shot before ownership forces any crazy trade for someone like Watson.
His Eventual Return
Tagovailoa can return in Week 6, which is a game in London against Jacksonville.
If the ribs are still bothering him, even making that flight could be an issue.
Let’s say he can return either that game or the next.
Tagovailoa then faces a serious test because rumors of replacing him have not exactly gone away.
He must look like a franchise quarterback this year, even with a potential lingering rib injury.
That is just the way of the NFL as patience has gone out the window in favor of finding the next best thing.
That is especially true at quarterback.
In the meantime, Dolphins fans are hoping Brissett can at least keep the team afloat for the next three or more weeks.
He was a full-time starter with the Indianapolis Colts in 2017 and then again in 2019 and provided competent play at the position.
His 24/40 day for 169 yards in this year’s Week 2 loss may be chalked up to him as a backup being thrust onto the field so suddenly against a tough opponent in the Bills.
NEXT: What Tua Tagovailoa's Injury Means For Dolphins Chances Of Victory