With less than eight hours before kickoff, the Baltimore Ravens still don’t know if Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will take the field for tonight’s primetime matchup in Florida.
The fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft is listed as questionable for the second week in a row after limited participation in the Dolphins’ practices this week. He suffered multiple fractured ribs earlier this season, and is now dealing with a fractured left finger.
Tagovailoa missed the Dolphins’ Week 9 game against the Houston Texans, with journeyman Jacoby Brissett starting in his place.
NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe provided an update on Tagavailoa’s status earlier today, saying that he would have “an official workout” before the game “to see how that fractured middle finger is.”
While Wolfe reported that the Dolphins expect Brissett to start, they’re “leaving open the door for Tua to surprise them a bit,” adding that the second-year quarterback “wants to play.”
While most quarterbacks in the NFL can fight through an injury to their left hand, Tagovailoa’s left-handedness makes performance just as much of an issue as pain.
“It’s not a pain issue for him, it’s the ability to throw the ball and have ball security,” said Wolfe.
If Tagovailoa is unable to play tonight, Brissett will make his second career start against the Ravens, the first being a 2017 loss as a member of the Indianapolis Colts.
Brissett has been extremely turnover-prone in Miami this season since taking over for the injured Tagavailoa. He’s thrown two interception in each of his last three starts, along with four fumbles.
Ravens Prepared for Either QB
With a short week and uncertainty surrounding Miami’s quarterback situation, the Ravens haven’t been able to prepare in as much detail as previous games.
“We’re just preparing for their offense,” said head coach John Harbaugh on Monday, who limited his injury-riddled team to walkthroughs rather than full practices this week.
Harbaugh noted that there was some “variation” between the Dolphins’ quarterbacks, but that Tagavailoa and Brissett still serve mainly the same role in Miami’s offense.
Other than Tagavailoa, the Dolphins are fairly healthy heading into tonight’s game. The only other player with an injury designation is defensive back Elijah Campbell, who is questionable.
No Ravens Color Rush on TNF
The Ravens announced their uniform selection yesterday morning, going with a white jersey and black pants that they last wore against the Detroit Lions in Week 3.
Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com wrote:
The Ravens have a 33-50 all-time record in their white jersey/black pant combo. It’s their third-lowest winning percentage (.398) uniform, only ahead of the purple/purple and purple/gold pants combinations. Baltimore is 4-0 in its color rush combo.
The Ravens have a 10-6 all-time record against the Dolphins, with their most recent matchup being a 59-10 win that kicked off Lamar Jackson’s 2019 MVP campaign. He earned a perfect passer rating for his performance for the first time in his career, showing off an impressive connection with Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown that has continued through this season.
In honor of Dolphins week for the Ravens, here’s Lamar Jackson dicing up Miami’s defense in Week 1 of the 2019 season
Jackson would finish the game completing 17-of-20 passes for 324 yards and five touchdowns, leading Baltimore to a 59-10 victory
With kickoff scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET, the Ravens will look to improve to 7-2 and extend their lead in the AFC North.
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Tua Be or Not Tua Be? Ravens’ Opposing QB Vs. Dolphins Still TBD