The Miami Dolphins ruled quarterback Tua Tagovailoa out of Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots and named Teddy Bridgewater the starter. The Patriots will prepare a little bit differently as a result with a new challenge lying in wait.
Bridgewater has appeared in four games for the Dolphins this season, throwing for 522 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. Back in Week 4, Tagovailoa went down with a concussion, and Bridgewater replaced him in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, where he went 14-of-23 passing for 193 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick spoke with the media about the sudden change in quarterbacks on Sunday, as transcribed by NESN’s Zack Cox.
“I’ve always had a ton of respect for Teddy,” said Belichick. “I like Teddy. Good athlete, good arm, smart kid, athletic. Presents a lot of the same problems that Tua does.”
This will be the first time Bridgewater has faced the Patriots as a starter. He was inactive for Miami’s contest against New England earlier this year and did not appear in the Minnesota Vikings game against New England back in 2014.
It will be intriguing to see how the Patriots defense performs with Tagovailoa out of the picture.