Omar Kelly: Dolphins are facing a quarterback catastrophe

MIAMI — How many more weeks of this quarterback catastrophe do Miami Dolphins fans have to endure?

Or should we say suffer through because that’s a more fitting description of the Dolphins’ offensive ineptitude in the first game the team played without Tua Tagovailoa, which concluded with a 24-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

We’ve got at least three more of these to go because Tagovailoa, the franchise’s Pro Bowl quarterback, is sidelined until Week 8 because of the concussion he suffered in last week’s 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills, which got him placed on injured reserve.

Tagovailoa traveled with the team and was spotted on the sidelines coaching up his replacement, third-year quarterback Skylar Thompson during Sunday’s loss.

But it seemed like those pointers were pointless because Thompson’s slow processing speed didn’t match the level of confidence his teammates and coaches had in him heading into Sunday’s contest.

Problem is, that confidence clearly was misplaced because Miami’s offense sputtered poorly against the Seahawks.

The Dolphins allowed Seattle to produce six sacks, five of which were on Thompson.

Miami converted 1-of-12 third-down attempts.

The Dolphins run game was inept — 65 yards — and also quickly abandoned.

Not only did Thompson look overwhelmed in his three quarters, but the third-year quarterback sustained a rib injury that sidelined him in the fourth quarter, and might keep him out for an extended period if his ribs are broken.

And they very well might be considering Thompson couldn’t dress himself after the game.

“Get ready,” backup team quarterback Tim Boyle said while inside the locker room after the game talking to Tyler Huntley, the backup quarterback claimed off the Baltimore Ravens practice squad last week.

Thompson, who completed 13-of-19 passes for 107 yards, struggled coming off the field when hit by a Seahawks defender at the end of Miami’s second third-quarter possession.

After being briefly examined by Miami’s medical team he returned to the game, but on the very next series Seahawks pass rusher Dre’Mont Jones pushed him down as he threw a pass and Thompson wasn’t able to get off the grass without assistance.

Three games into the 2024 regular season and the Dolphins are down two quarterbacks.

Thompson was replaced by Tim Boyle, who was signed to the 53-man roster on Saturday after being elevated from the practice squad. And there Boyle was, three weeks into being a Dolphins, running Miami’s offense.

“We put a couple of drives together, but obviously we got stopped there on fourth down at the goal line,” said Boyle, who completed 7-of-13 passes for 79 yards, with his longest completion being a 30-yard pass to Dee Eskridge. “When you’re struggling like that you are just trying to find completion, and positive yards and put a drive together.”

This was a game that should, and probably will send the Dolphins back to the drawing board because even if Thompson finished the game healthy, his play wasn’t good enough to give an NFL team — any team — a chance to win a regular-season contest.

Few teams can survive playing with their third-team quarterback, but this challenge likely won’t be something the Dolphins must endure all season.

This is about bridging the gap until Tagovailoa returns. However, even when that happens, there’s no guarantee that Miami’s concussion-prone quarterback will stay healthy because another concussion would likely end his season, and maybe his playing career.

“What do we need to do?” receiver Tyreek Hill asked, addressing the offense’s struggles.

It was an open ended question that Miami’s Pro Bowl receiver — who was chosen by his peers as the NFL’s top rated player — seemingly doesn’t have an answer for outside of remain patient, and pray Tagovailoa’s concussion symptoms heal, and never return.

“We have a great team that is willing. We have to correct some of the things we aren’t doing right. We’ll get there. It’s still early in the season. That’s the beauty about it. We have a real good team and some great leaders who are keeping everyone together,” said Hill, who caught three passes for 40 yards. “We’ll have a captain meeting about what needs to be changed.”

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