The Miami Dolphins have been hit with some brutal news these past few days. Not only have they fallen off with an 8-7 record after losing four straight games, they also lost Tua Tagovailoa to a concussion after the quarterback hit his head on the ground during the Dolphins' Week 16 clash against the Green Bay Packers. And it seems as if the 24-year old quarterback won't be fully healthy in time for their crucial Week 17 matchup against fellow playoff hopefuls New England Patriots.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel recently announced that they are rolling with backup Teddy Bridgewater as their starter against the Patriots, according to Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN. Bridgewater has only started in one game thus far this season, a 40-17 loss against the New York Jets in Week 5.

McDaniel may have revealed that Tua Tagovailoa is feeling “better” than he was yesterday, per David Furones of the Sun Sentinel, but the Dolphins aren't taking another risk with their franchise quarterback, given his previous bouts with head-related injuries throughout this season.

Tagovailoa was carted off in the middle of the Dolphins' Week 4 tilt against the Cincinnati Bengals after he endured a violent hit to the head, which was made worse by the fact that he already showed signs of being concussed the previous week. The Dolphins' QB1 proceeded to miss the next two games. Miami lost both games despite Teddy Bridgewater and Skylar Thompson's best efforts to fill the huge void Tagovailoa's injury left.

The Dolphins drew major flak during that time for allowing Tua Tagovailoa to power through a dangerous head injury. Moreover, the NFL even had to review their concussion protocols following the incident. Thus, it's no surprise that Mike McDaniel and the rest of the Dolphins' decision-making brass aren't taking any chances with the young quarterback's health.