By ALANIS THAMES and TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writers
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — James Cook caught a touchdown pass and ran for two scores and the Buffalo Bills routed the Miami Dolphins, 31-10, on Thursday night, with Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa leaving early because of a concussion.
Tagovailoa left in the third quarter after colliding with defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf. Tagovailoa was quickly ruled out with the concussion, casting doubt on his season after a history of dealing with head injuries.
Josh Allen, playing with a glove on his left non-throwing hand after hurting it in Buffalo’s opener, completed 13 of 19 passes for 139 yards. He’s 12-2 against the Dolphins and the Bills are 14-2 against Miami since Coach Sean McDermott’s first year as head coach in 2017.
Cook caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Allen and scored on runs of 1 and 49 yards in the first half, flipping into the end zone when he gave the Bills a 24-7 lead.
Allen didn’t appear limited by the left hand that he hurt after hurdling safety Budda Baker in Buffalo’s opener against the Arizona Cardinals. He had his hand heavily wrapped before returning to finish that game and practiced all week with a glove to protect it.
Backup Mitchell Trubisky replaced Allen late in the fourth Thursday with Buffalo (2-0) leading by 21.
Miami’s star receiver Tyreek Hill was held to three catches for 24 yards during a week in which he dominated national headlines. Hill was pulled from his sports car by Miami-Dade County police officers, pushed face-first onto a street and handcuffed during a traffic stop outside the Dolphins’ home stadium hours before their season opener.
Officer Danny Torres was placed on administrative duty as the department’s director launched an internal affairs investigation. Hill said he wants the officer fired, but the 30-year-old also acknowledged he could have handled the interaction better in the moment.
Buffalo scored 10 points off of two first-half turnovers by Tagovailoa. Ja’Marcus Ingram intercepted Tagovailoa’s pass on a tipped ball intended for receiver Grant DuBose on Miami’s opening drive. Then Christian Benford picked off a pass on what appeared to be miscommunication between the quarterback and receiver Robbie Chosen. Both DuBose and Chosen arrived to the team after the preseason.
Tagovailoa thew another interception to Ingram while trying to toss the ball out of bounds on Miami’s opening drive of the third quarter. Ingram returned the ball 31 yards for a score that put Buffalo up 31-10. It was Tagovailoa’s third career game with three interceptions.
Late in the third quarter, Tagovailoa scrambled up the middle for a first down did not slide, lowering his right shoulder to initiate contact with Hamlin. Tagovailoa’s helmet made hard contact with Hamlin’s body, and ended up lying on the turf.
Bills players, as well as Tagovailoa’s teammates, immediately waved for trainers to come to the field. The fifth-year quarterback was helped to his feet after a few minutes and walked under his own power to the locker room with trainers after throwing for 145 yards and a 5-yard touchdown to De’Von Achane. Third-year quarterback Skylar Thompson replaced him Thursday.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) lies on the field after suffering a concussion during a hard collision in the second half of their game against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Tagovailoa was diagnosed with two concussions during the 2023 season and another when he was a college player at Alabama.
Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212 million extension before this season – a deal that makes him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL – and was the league’s leading passer in Week 1 this season.
Tagovailoa’s college years and first three NFL seasons were marred by injury, though he positioned himself for a big pay bump with an injury-free and productive 2023 as he led the Dolphins into the playoffs. He threw for 29 touchdowns and a league-best 4,624 yards last year.
When, or if, he can come back this season is anyone’s guess.
Tagovailoa wound up on his back, both his hands in the air, following the collision with Hamlin and Bills players immediately pointed at Tagovailoa as if to suggest there was an injury. Dolphins center Aaron Brewer quickly did the same, waving to the sideline.
Tagovailoa appeared to be making a fist with his right hand as he lay on the ground. It was movement consistent with something that is referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a traumatic brain injury.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel grabbed the side of his quarterback’s head and gave him a kiss on the cheek as Tagovailoa departed.
Hamlin was the player who suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a Monday night game in January 2023 at Cincinnati, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal game that quickly lost significance in the aftermath of a scary scene that unfolded in front of a national television audience.
Tagovailoa’s history with concussions – and how he has since worked to avoid them – is a huge part of the story of his career, and now comes to the forefront once again.
He had at least two concussions during the 2022 season. He was hurt in a Week 3 game against Buffalo and cleared concussion protocol, though he appeared disoriented on that play but returned to the game.
The NFL later changed its concussion protocol to mandate that if a player shows possible concussion symptoms – including a lack of balance or stability – he must sit out the rest of the game.
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Less than a week later, in a Thursday night game at Cincinnati, Tagovailoa was concussed on a scary hit that briefly knocked him unconscious and led to him being taken off the field on a stretcher.
His second known concussion of that season came in a December game against Green Bay, and he didn’t play for the rest of the 2022 season. After that, Tagovailoa began studying ways he might be able to fall more safely and protect himself against further injury – including studying jiu-jitsu.
OTHER INJURIES
Bills: Middle linebacker and captain Terrel Bernard left with a pectoral injury in the first quarter and did not return.
Dolphins: Starting offensive linemen Terron Armstead and Rob Jones both left with shoulder injuries. … Jeff Wilson Jr. left with an oblique injury and did not return.
UP NEXT
The Bills host Jacksonville on Monday, Sept. 23.
The Dolphins play at Seattle on Sunday, Sept. 22.
Buffalo Bills cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram celebrates as he returns an interception 31 yards for a touchdown during the second half of their game against the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)