MIAMI GARDENS — Something happened in Monday night’s game against the New York Jets for Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa that might’ve previously been cause for serious concern.
In the third quarter, Tagovailoa scrambled and slid short of a first down on third-and-8. Jets linebacker Francisco Mauigoa, as Tagovailoa slid, launched himself over the Dolphins’ quarterback and sent a forearm shiver to his helmet.
Anyone who has observed Tagovailoa’s NFL career to this point had the same fear after his three diagnosed concussions that have cost him time on the field.
But Tagovailoa was fine. He got up immediately and alertly looked for a flag from officials. As Mauigoa, the hard-hitting rookie and former Miami Hurricanes linebacker, was penalized for unnecessary roughness, and Tagovailoa signaled first down as it extended a key Miami drive.
Three plays later, running back De’Von Achane scored on a 9-yard touchdown run that pushed the Dolphins’ lead to two scores.
With star Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill taken out due to a gruesome knee injury earlier in the same quarter, the team was saved from having two catastrophic injuries occur in the short timespan.
After the game, Tagovailoa made a vague reference to altering game-day nutrition as to why he was never concerned over the contact to the head.
On Wednesday, he expanded on that notion, saying he’s adding carbohydrates into his pregame diet and making sure to hydrate better.
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“Just carbing up more for the games and then getting more fluids,” Tagoailoa said.
The Dolphins quarterback has received medical and scientific advice to go with this plan before games as a means to improve his chances of avoiding concussions.
“I think it definitely helps with just the aspect of the brain,” Tagovailoa explained. “I guess everyone would be wondering how I felt on that hit and whatnot. Felt perfectly fine, felt great. Throughout the years, that was one of the bigger things we hadn’t addressed, was making sure I got a good amount of carbs in my body so that, as I drank water or drank the right stuff, whatever it was, that it stay in.
“The doctors are talking about the liquid your brain sits in. That was just the biggest aspect of all of that.”
After two separate concussions in the 2022 season, Tagovailoa took up jiu-jitsu and worked on strengthening his neck to not have his head whiplash as much from hits on the field. After a fully healthy 2023 season, Tagovailoa again suffered a concussion in September 2024, which put him on IR and sidelined him the next four games.
The new nutrition plan is a change he implemented ahead of this season, and it worked in the first instance his head was potentially in danger.
“For me, from what I’ve come to know from what the doctors are talking about, is your brain kind of sits in fluids and, if I’m eating eggs, bacon and sausage and there’s not not much carbs, like if there’s no bread, you drink water and it’ll just flush out of you. So you can’t stay hydrated that way, but the carbs kind of help soak that in and stay there.”
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, speaking earlier Wednesday, said he figured in the moment Tagovailoa would be fine because he slid under what could’ve been the brunt of the contact from Mauigoa.
“The contact doesn’t necessarily make me nervous,” McDaniel said. “It’s the direct contact that I would’ve gotten a little nerved up. It was a great teammate experience that I saw him do what I thought he would do.”
And McDaniel was proud one of his teaching emphases to his quarterback, to slide before taking a big hit, was executed.
“That was the supreme challenge that we extended towards him of, ‘There’s the sticks, can you eliminate the space but prioritize what the team needs you to prioritize?’ ” McDaniel said. “Him sliding, was he kind of took the bull by the horns, and I think once I saw him get underneath that vice and slide, I think I was excited. I think I was pumped. I would’ve expected him to do that, but when you see your expectation come to life I was proud of his understanding.
“Making that decision is critical to the team and our games moving forward so I’m glad he kept himself available.”
