‘It’s tough’: Miami Dolphins once again had to adapt after quarterback injury

The Miami Dolphins have seen this scene unfold three weeks in a row now.

Their starting quarterback gets injured. The backup enters and is tasked with keeping the team in the game and they have opportunities to win. They lose.

On Sunday, in their 24-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, it was Teddy Bridgewater going from backup to starter after rookie Skylar Thompson exited in the second quarter with a right thumb injury.

“Definitely not the ideal set of circumstances,” first-year Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said.

The quarterback carousel is bound to end next week, with starter Tua Tagovailoa clearing concussion protocol on Saturday and expected to be the starter when the Dolphins host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 23. It will be Tagovailoa’s first start since sustaining a concussion early in the Dolphins’ 27-15 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 29.

Bridgewater replaced Tagovailoa after that game and took first-team reps the following week prior to facing the New York Jets. Bridgewater only played one snap in that Jets game before entering concussion protocol, forcing the Dolphins to hand the offense to the rookie Thompson.

McDaniel then opted to tab Thompson as the team’s starter heading into this week because of the uncertainty that Bridgewater and Tagovailoa would clear protocol in time.

Thompson lasted three drives before sustaining the thumb injury that relegated him to the sideline for the rest of the game.

“It is unique to my NFL career with regard to the things that have happened probably in the last three weeks,” McDaniel said. “Does that mean that because of that we’re unable to win the football game? It does not. ... I don’t think anybody has the mindset that, well, that’s the reason why we’re losing. We’re fully capable of winning this game. I think that’s obvious to everybody. It’s a simple, simple formula. You look at the tape. You don’t hide from it. And then you move forward and try to use the learning experience to get better in the middle stretch of the season, pushing forward to the end.”

Bridgewater, who only had one full practice this week after entering concussion protocol in the Dolphins’ loss to the Jets last week, completed 23 of 34 pass attempts on Sunday for 329 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Each of his touchdown passes came in the fourth quarter to tight end Mike Gesicki and put the Dolphins within a touchdown of taking the lead.

But two turnovers in the quarter — Jaylen Waddle losing a fumble and Bridgewater’s pass that was intercepted by Patrick Peterson — sealed Miami’s loss.

“It’s tough, man,” Bridgewater said, “and it’s just our luck that the guy who didn’t get to prepare as a starter has to go in the game and play most of the game. But this game is so crazy. It just applies to life, also. You wake up one morning prepared to do one thing, and boom, something happens, and how do you adjust.”

Prior to leaving the game, Thompson had completed 7 of 13 passes for 89 yards and had a 9-yard rush. Miami entered field-goal range on each of their first two drives before a third-down sack on the first drive and five offensive penalties on the second forced the Dolphins to punt.

McDaniel said Thompson “wouldn’t have been physically capable to come back in” after suffering the thumb injury, also noting that Thompson “didn’t have any strength holding the ball, which is an issue when you’re trying to throw it.”

“It was not any indication or decision based upon his play,” McDaniel said. “I would have definitely stayed with him had he been able to proceed, but he was not.”

So it was up to Bridgewater from there. Despite being limited in practice this week while in concussion protocol and only getting a few reps with the starting offense, Bridgewater said he was prepared to enter the game if needed on Sunday.

“Limited reps, but it’s an offense that I know,” Bridgewater said. “It was just cool just getting back out there running around, competing, getting hit a little bit. But obviously we want to win these football games, and obviously we want to execute better, starting with me or whoever is out there.”

As for Bridgewater’s thoughts on the enhanced concussion protocol, he didn’t want to go into specifics about how it unfolded, but said he was “just happy to just continue to practice this week.”

“Just happy I got an opportunity to go in the game today,” Bridgewater said, “and who knows what’s in store.”