Teddy Bridgewater

The Broncos quarterback was carted off the field after landing on his head and shoulder while he diced for a first down in the third quarter of the game at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday.

Bridgewater was kept in hospital overnight as a precaution, but the 29-year-old has now been discharged.

Denver (7-7) confirmed Bridgewater has entered the NFL's concussion protocol.

Drew Lock replaced Bridgewater and the stand-in signal-caller passed for 88 yards following his introduction, completing only six of his 12 throws.

The Broncos sit third in the AFC West behind the Kansas City Chiefs (10-4) and the Los Angeles Chargers (8-6) with three weeks of the regular season remaining.

They face a trip to take on the Las Vegas Raiders for a Week 16 showdown on Boxing Day.

Kansas City had won 11 consecutive games against Denver, a streak dating back to Week 10 of 2015 – the Chiefs had never enjoyed a longer winning streak over an opponent in franchise history.

But the in-form Chiefs eclipsed that streak in an historic victory as they also stretched their winning run in the NFL to five straight games on Sunday.

Patrick Mahomes was far from his best again, but the Chiefs still defeated the visiting Broncos in Kansas City.

Mahomes did not throw a touchdown, instead finishing with an interception on 15-of-29 passing for 184 yards, though he did rush for a TD on four carries.

The former MVP has already thrown 12 interceptions this season – matching his career high from 2018.

Kansas City used a 10-0 opening period to set the tone against the Broncos, with Daniel Sorensen's 76-yard pick-six of Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater putting the result beyond doubt with less than 10 minutes remaining in the final quarter.

In their last five games, Kansas City have allowed 17, seven, 14, nine and nine points, having given up 29, 36, 30, 30 and 38 in the team's opening five games. According to Stats Perform, they are the first franchise in NFL history to have a five-game winning streak allowing 25-plus points and a five-game victorious run allowing less than 20 points in the same season.

Suffering with back and ankle problems, Tagovailoa has only been able to play a limited part in preparation this week.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel asserted on Monday it was the 24-year-old Tagovailoa's injured back that caused him to stumble to the ground in Sunday's 21-19 win over the Buffalo Bills, amid fears of a concussion.

Tagovailoa took a hard hit in that game, as Bills linebacker Matt Milano pushed him to the ground. Tagovailoa's helmet slammed into the turf, but he rose to his feet quickly. However, he then shook his head, appeared woozy and lost balance as he stumbled back to the ground.

The 24-year-old quarterback went to the locker room to be assessed by the team's medical staff, with the Dolphins announcing a head injury.

He returned for the start of the third quarter – a move that prompted the NFL and National Football League Players Association to conduct a joint review of how the decision was made to allow Tagovailoa to return.

McDaniel maintained, however, that proper protocols were followed and Tagovailoa was cleared by the team and the independent neurologist.

Tagovailoa said after the game that it felt like he hyper-extended his back earlier in the contest, which was why his back locked up on him after the hit from Milano, causing the stumble.

The Dolphins have Teddy Bridgewater on standby to start on Thursday.

McDaniel was hoping to make a decision on Wednesday about his starting quarterback, but said it might have to come down to an early call on Thursday instead, stressing he would back 29-year-old Bridgewater to come good if called upon.

"We have a bunch of faith in him. So we're walking through in general, anyway," McDaniel said on Tuesday. "So Teddy has to take reps each and every play in terms of calling the play and visualising everything as it stands.

"We'll probably just take it as long as we have to before we can be convicted. But at some point there has to be [a decision] – it won't be five minutes before kick-off, I know that. Probably some time on Wednesday, but if we have to, we'll move it to Thursday morning."

Tagovailoa was highly unlikely to feature in Sunday's game against Minnesota Vikings despite returning to the practice field this week, but McDaniel declared he would not play on Wednesday.

The Dolphins QB has not played since being concussed in the Week 4 game against the Cincinnati Bengals on September 29.

Tagovailoa's replacement, Teddy Bridgewater, was also concussed in their Week 5 game against the New York Jets, meaning rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson will make his first career start versus the Vikings.

"Now, when talking about this week and playing, I don't see a scenario - I don't see him being active. I do not plan to have him play at all," McDaniel told reporters about Tagovailoa.

"As far as his exact timeline of when he's going to play, I'll be excited to consider that whenever that comes up. Right now, I'm just really focused on him getting out there and feeling good and being around his teammates, and that those types of decisions aren't in the immediate future right now. I'll handle that when that comes after."

McDanel revealed Tagovailoa may pass concussion protocol the Week 6 game but that the Dolphins would not rush him back despite being depleted in that department with Bridgewater out.

"He hasn't done a thing on the football field for literally two weeks," McDaniel said.

"I don't think that that would be fair to the player. That wouldn't be fair to the team… I don't feel comfortable putting him in that situation."

Tagovailoa was stretchered off and briefly hospitalized after hitting his head on the turf and being concussed against the Bengals.

That came only four days after a similar incident against the Buffalo Bills where he was evaluated for concussion at halftime, having appeared unstable on his feet but cleared to play on.

The incident led to the NFL Players' Association conducting a review of the league's concussion protocol, which was amended last week to include ataxia as a symptom. Bridgewater was the first player impacted by the protocol change in Week 5.

The Dolphins are on a two-game losing streak, sitting 3-2 after beginning the 2022 season with three successive wins.

The sides can finalise the deal on Wednesday when the NFL's free agency period begins. Monday marked the beginning of the league's legal negotiating period.

Bridgewater, 29, is a South Florida native who had a decorated career at Miami Northwestern Senior High School and has returned to his alma mater frequently to watch Friday night games.

While Tagovailoa is expected to remain the Dolphins' starter, he has dealt with several injuries in his first two pro seasons, making the acquisition of a reliable quarterback a priority for Miami.

The 32nd overall pick in 2014 out of Louisville, Bridgewater will once again be relegated to a backup role after starting 29 games over the last two seasons for the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos.

In 14 games last season, he threw for a career-high 18 touchdown passes for the 7-10 Broncos, who revamped the position last week by agreeing to a blockbuster deal with the Seattle Seahawks to acquire Russell Wilson.

With Bridgewater set to be signed and Mitchell Trubisky agreeing to a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the offseason quarterback carousel is beginning to settle, with Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota remaining the top two available free agents.

The elephant in the room for teams acquiring quarterbacks remains the status of Deshaun Watson, who has requested a trade from the Houston Texans despite having 22 civil lawsuits against him for allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault, which he denies. A grand jury deemed there insufficient evidence for criminal proceedings last week.

The Dolphins and Texans were deep into conversations about sending Watson to Miami before last year's trade deadline, but no deal was made.

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and Todd Gurley rushed for Atlanta's two touchdowns at the Bank of America Stadium.

Ryan completed 21 of 30 passes for 281 yards and had an interception, while Gurley rushed for 46 yards on 18 carries.

Falcons star Julio Jones had seven receptions for 137 yards as Atlanta improved to 2-6 and the Panthers fell to 3-5 in the NFC South. Both teams are behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2) and New Orleans Saints (4-2).

Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater went 15 of 23 for 176 yards with a TD and an interception.

The Falcons were held to two field goals in the first quarter, coming either side of Curtis Samuel getting through some soft defense to rush 12 yards through the middle for the opening TD.

Bridgewater connected with Samuel for 29 yards to give the Panthers a 14-6 lead early in the second quarter.

It meant Samuel had his third career game with a rushing TD and receiving TD. All other wide receivers in the Panthers' history have two such games combined.

Ryan found room for a 13-yard rushing TD before Koo Younghoe drilled his third field goal of the game to give the Falcons a half-time lead.

Gurley's league-leading eighth rushing TD of the season saw the Falcons grab a 25-17 lead in the fourth quarter after the teams traded field goals in the third.

Atlanta held onto that lead to stretch the Panthers' losing streak.

Browns running back D'Ernest Johnson stole the show in his first career start, scoring the first touchdown after only five plays and finishing the game with 22 carries for 146 yards.

Case Keenum, making his first Browns start in place of the injured Mayfield, completed 21 from 33 attempts for 199 yards including one touchdown pass.

The result improves Cleveland to 4-3, while it means the Broncos have lost four in a row, sliding to a 3-4 record.

The Browns led 10-0 at half-time after Chase McLaughlin's 52-yard attempt, before the Broncos rallied with Melvin Gordon diving in at the corner from Teddy Bridgewater's touchdown pass to narrow the deficit.

Keenum found Johnny Stanton with a short touchdown pass to restore Cleveland's 10-point lead in the third quarter.

The Broncos scored late from a 17-play drive as Bridgewater, who completed 23 from 33 attempts for 187 yards but had one interception, found Javonte Williams for his second touchdown pass of the game.

It is early enough in the year to mount a revival, albeit for those owners looking to recover from a poor start, nailing roster construction is paramount. 

There will also be additional challenges from this week onwards with regular bye weeks, meaning a strong set of options on the bench will be crucial. 

Ahead of Week 5, we pick out at five players who have the potential to score big and should be firmly in your consideration as starters. 

QB: Teddy Bridgewater - Carolina Panthers

Save for the postponement of the Tennessee Titans' game with the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, it is the first round of games where teams will be on bye. 

That means many fantasy owners will be on the lookout for quarterback fill-ins - and Bridgewater stands out as a leading candidate. 

Bridgewater threw for 276 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the Week 4 win over the Arizona Cardinals, which also saw him run for another score, his efforts good enough for 27.2 fantasy points. 

This week, Bridgewater faces an Atlanta Falcons defense surrendering 341.5 passing yards a game. The odds are in favour of Bridgewater logging his third successive start against an NFC South opponent with over 300 passing yards.

RB: Jerick McKinnon - San Francisco 49ers

With Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman sidelined, McKinnon has taken on the lead role in the San Francisco backfield. 

His production has not been efficient as the Niners have found it tough sledding on the ground in recent weeks. However, he has a touchdown in all four games this season and is a featured part of the passing game. 

McKinnon is averaging 16.6 fantasy points a game in points per reception leagues and should continue his strong start to the season against a Miami Dolphins defense that has already conceded seven rushing touchdowns. 

WR: Will Fuller - Houston Texans

Will the Texans finally get a win following the dismissal of Bill O'Brien as head coach and general manager? If they do, Fuller should play a considerable role. 

The speedy but oft-injured receiver had six catches for 108 yards and a touchdown in last week's defeat to the Minnesota Vikings and has five catches in two of his last three meetings with this week's opponents, the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Jacksonville is surrendering 6.2 yards per play, making the Jaguars' defense ripe for the picking. 

TE: Eric Ebron - Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers will have watched 49ers star tight end George Kittle pick on the Philadelphia Eagles' linebackers and safeties last Sunday to the tune of 15 catches for 183 yards and a touchdown. 

Ebron is not the same dynamic threat as Kittle to opposing teams, but he had five catches for 52 yards and a score in the Week 3 meeting with the Texans and will have the benefit of a week's rest. 

His 17 receiving touchdowns are tied for the most among tight ends since 2018 and Ebron, who has 12 targets in his last two games, is primed to play a key role on offense as the Steelers aim to move to 4-0.

D/ST: Los Angeles Rams

The most challenging aspect of the Rams' matchup with the Washington Football Team may be the cross-country travel.

This is a perfect set up for a Rams defense that already has 12 sacks and six takeaways this season.

Washington's tally of eight turnovers is tied for the second-most in the NFL and, after benching Dwayne Haskins, they are turning to a quarterback in Kyle Allen who had 16 interceptions in 12 starts for the Panthers last year.

That is a recipe for a huge day for Aaron Donald and Co.

While the new league year is still in its infancy, most of the major players on the open market have found new homes or opted to stay put.

A string of blockbuster trades have also changed the landscape of the league.

Here we look at the winners and losers from free agency.

WINNER: Indianapolis Colts

The Colts have been aggressive in addressing their needs in response to a disappointing 7-9 season in 2019, with the signing of Philip Rivers and the acquisition of DeForest Buckner in a trade from the San Francisco 49ers the headline moves.

Rivers comes across from the Los Angeles Chargers following 16 seasons with that franchise. He threw 591 times last season and was intercepted on 20 of those attempts.

A Colts running game led by the dynamic Marlon Mack that finished seventh in the NFL last year along with a bruising offensive line should ensure Rivers does not have to chance his arm as much in Indianapolis.

Rivers also has great familiarity with Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni from his time as the Chargers quarterback coach. The fit could hardly be better.

The Colts gave up a first-round pick (13th overall) to land defensive tackle Buckner and then pay him $21million a year. If he delivers the same kind of performances he produced for San Francisco – he had 28.5 sacks and 74 quarterback hits in four seasons for the 49ers – the Colts defense will be significantly improved in 2020.

LOSER: Houston Texans

The NFL universe is collectively still trying to wrap its head around the Texans' decision to trade DeAndre Hopkins, one of the league's premier receivers, and a late-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals for just a second-round pick and running back David Johnson.

Hopkins' departure means quarterback Deshaun Watson loses his most reliable weapon in the passing game. Johnson's arrival hardly upgrades the running attack, as he was an afterthought for the Cardinals last year.

Houston also lost defensive tackle D.J. Reader, who signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, and overpaid for veteran wide receiver Randall Cobb, giving him a three-year deal worth $27m.

Head coach Bill O'Brien's presence as the de-facto general manager looks more ludicrous by the day.

WINNER: Teddy Bridgewater

Bridgewater's career appeared in jeopardy when he suffered a gruesome knee injury prior to the start of the 2016 season.

However, after making an emotional return to the field for the Minnesota Vikings, he has revived his career with the New Orleans Saints – going 5-0 during Drew Brees' spell on the sideline last season – and his comeback story reached his peak when he received a reported three-year, $63m deal from the Carolina Panthers to be their starting quarterback.

Expectations will be low with the Panthers in rebuild mode under Matt Rhule. Bridgewater, though, still has arguably the league's best running back in Christian McCaffrey and worked with Carolina offensive coordinator Joe Brady in his time in New Orleans.

Don't be surprised if he lives up to a deal some believed was too rich for the former first-round pick.

LOSER: Nick Foles

The author of the most remarkable comeback story in recent league history will get another chance to earn a starting job after a short-lived spell with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

However, in being dealt to the Chicago Bears, Foles is not landing in a situation where he can succeed.

The Bears took a step back on both sides of the ball last year and on offense Foles will find limited options at the offensive skill positions beyond Allen Robinson.

Chicago overpaid a declining tight end in Jimmy Graham who is unlikely to help the Bears improve their production on offense.

Even if he eventually takes the quarterback job from Mitchell Trubisky, Foles will have an uphill battle to guide the Bears to supremacy in a division also featuring Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford and Kirk Cousins.

WINNER: Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys have not yet managed to reach a long-term deal with quarterback Dak Prescott, instead using the franchise tag on him, and lost cornerback Byron Jones, who signed with the Miami Dolphins.

Defensive tackle Maliek Collins and pass rusher Robert Quinn were further departures, but the Cowboys were able to sign wide receiver Amari Cooper to a lucrative five-year deal and replaced Collins with a superior player in Gerald McCoy. HaHa Clinton-Dix's signing gives the Cowboys a reliable starter at safety, too.

The Cowboys still have a strong roster with which to contend in the NFC, and they should be in the mix for years to come if they can eventually come to a more concrete arrangement with Prescott.

LOSER: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs' signing of Brady from the Patriots was unsurprisingly met with tremendous excitement from the Tampa Bay fanbase, while there have been reports of free agents showing desire to sign with them following the six-time Super Bowl-champion's arrival.

Yet it is debatable whether Brady will improve the Bucs' offense, which led the league in passing yardage with Jameis Winston at the helm but was undermined by the former first-overall pick's tendency to commit crushing turnovers.

The 42-year-old has the velocity to excel on the downfield throws that are a pivotal part of Bruce Arians' passing attack, but Brady lacks Winston's ability to escape pressure that helped mask the deficiencies of the Bucs' offensive line.

If Tampa Bay cannot improve up front, it could be a painful few years in Florida for Brady. For all the buzz around his signing, the Bucs would have been better served investing in a more mobile free-agent quarterback and looking to the draft for a long-term answer.

Newton, who has struggled in recent seasons with shoulder and foot injuries, has insisted the Panthers "forced" him into seeking a trade as he delivered an angry response to the team stating he had been made available.

Now, free agent Bridgewater – who had been linked with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – is poised to replace him.

Newton, the first overall pick in 2011, has had a nine-year run with the Panthers and took them to Super Bowl 50 in a year he was crowned the league MVP.

A basic framework for a deal is reportedly in place that will see Bridgewater earn around $20million-a-year, with the finishing touches set to be applied before the new league year begins on Wednesday.

Bridgewater has backed up Drew Brees for the New Orleans Saints over the last two seasons and bided his time waiting for the right starting opportunity.

He has successfully rebuilt his career following the devastating knee injury he suffered while at the Minnesota Vikings in 2016.

The 27-year-old went 5-0 as he stepped in for an injured Brees last season and will now lead the Panthers into a new era alongside recently appointed head coach Matt Rhule.

Also significant is the presence of new Panthers Offensive Coordinator Joe Brady, who worked closely with Bridgewater while he was an assistant with the Saints.

Carolina allowed Bridgewater to depart after landing New York Jets signal-caller Sam Darnold earlier this month.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Panthers will pay Bridgewater $7million, while he is said to be set to receive $3m from the Broncos.

Bridgewater spent just one season with the Panthers, completing 69.1 per cent of his passes for 3,733 yards, 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 15 starts.

The 28-year-old rushed for 279 yards and five touchdowns in the 2020 campaign.

Denver could reportedly still be in the market for another QB in Thursday's NFL Draft, despite also having Drew Lock, Brett Rypien and Jeff Driskel on the roster.

Lock started 13 games for the Broncos last year, completing 57.3 per cent of his passes for 2,933 yards, 16 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

Broncos general manager George Paton said: "Acquiring Teddy Bridgewater adds competition, experience and a strong veteran presence to our quarterback room.

"He's a talented player and leader who's had success in this league in a number of different situations. Being familiar with Teddy from Minnesota, he's going to compete and do everything he can to help us win."

McCaffrey missed last week's loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to a shoulder injury and the Panthers running back is set to be sidelined again for the visit of the Lions in Carolina.

The 2019 Pro Bowler and All-Pro – who did not practice on Wednesday – suffered the injury late in the Week 9 defeat to Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs.

"So I don't know when it'll be," Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said of McCaffrey's return on Wednesday.

"I don't know whether it will be next week. Or the next. I'm not sure. Nobody knows their body better than Christian."

McCaffrey ran for 69 yards and a touchdown while catching 10 passes for 82 yards and another score against the Chiefs.

The 24-year-old led the league with 2,392 yards from scrimmage and 19 total touchdowns last season.

However, he has failed to live up to his reputation as a runner in his three games in 2020, the former eighth overall pick averaging minus 0.28 rushing yards over expectation, according to the NFL's NextGen Stats.

He has been more efficient as a receiver, however, McCaffrey is averaging 8.8 yards per reception and has not dropped any of the 19 passes thrown his way.

In three games this season, McCaffrey is averaging 124.7 scrimmage yards and scored six total touchdowns for the 3-7 Panthers.

Meanwhile, Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater remains in doubt after he was limited in practice midweek.

Bridgewater exited Sunday's defeat to the Buccaneers with a knee injury.

"We'll monitor him day-to-day and see if he is able to go on Sunday," Rhule said. "We'll see how he responds to today's work tomorrow." 

Jones had 137 yards on seven receptions as the Falcons claimed their second win of the NFL season by beating the Panthers 25-17 on Thursday.

The wide receiver had his 35th game with at least 125 receiving yards, tying Randy Moss and moving behind only Jerry Rice (49).

Ryan, who rushed for a touchdown during the win over the Panthers, lauded Jones.

"Just to start the game the way we did, to let them know it was going to be that kind of night and then his just clutch plays throughout the game, keep chains moving, I thought he played extremely well," the Falcons quarterback told reporters.

"It's no surprise he's on a list with Randy Moss, he's one of the best to ever do it and he played really well for us."

The Falcons (2-6) are bottom of the NFC South, behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2), New Orleans Saints (4-2) and Panthers (3-5).

Atlanta have suffered four losses by single digits this season, having squandered multiple leads during the campaign.

But Ryan believes the Falcons can produce a strong run to finish the season.

"We've been in every game we've played this year," he said.

"We've had some crazy losses just to be frank and I really believe that we've got the calibre of team to go be in every game that we're going to play the rest of the season and why can't we win them all? That's the mindset I have."

Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater paid tribute to the Falcons for their performance.

"Tough loss. We've just got to find ways to finish these games, that can't be the common thing around here – coming up short," he said.

"We get this weekend off, we're at the mid-point of the season I think, still got time for us to just reflect, see some of the things we've done well in the first half of the season, see what we need to improve on.

"A game like today you know that you're going to get a team's best, they know us well, we know them well, we just came up short. They played a good game today, obviously we like to finish with points, but hats off to those guys."

Joe Burrow threw two touchdown passes for the Bengals who claimed back-to-back wins to improve to 2-2, but the game will be remembered for Tagovailoa's injury where he was stretchered off and rushed to hospital with "head and neck injuries".

Tagovailoa went down during an eventful second quarter, slamming the back of his head into the turf in a Josh Tupou sack, where he appeared to suffer a seizure upon the initial contact. The Dolphins QB copped a heavy hit in last week's win over the Buffalo Bills but cleared protocols to play on despite fears of a concussion.

Teddy Bridgewater stepped in for Tagovailoa, shoveling a pass for Chase Edmonds' touchdown on half-time to reduce the margin to 14-12 at half-time.

Jason Sanders converted his third field-goal attempt of the game to have Miami up 15-14 at the final change, but the Bengals did all the scoring in the fourth quarter with Evan McPherson slotting two field goals before Burrow found a wide-open Hayden Hurst for a late TD after Vonn Bell's second interception.

Earlier, Bengals running back Joe Mixon opened the scoring, before both sides traded touchdowns in the second quarter, with Burrow connecting with Tee Higgins for a 59-yard TD deep down the left side.

Burrow completed 20 of 31 attempts for 287 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, while Mixon had 24 carries for 61 yards. Higgins starred with 124 yards from seven receptions and Ja'Marr Chase made 81 from four receptions, including a Tyler Boyd 23-yard pass.

Tagovailoa made eight of 14 passes for 110 yards with one interception before being taken off, with Bridgewater completing 14 of 23 passes for 193 yards with one TD and an interception after stepping in. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill had 160 yards on 10 receptions.

Bridgewater joined the Broncos this offseason in a trade from the Carolina Panthers, who moved for Sam Darnold.

The new Denver signing has been battling with Drew Lock in preseason but has won the starting job and will now hope to give the team some stability at the position.

The Broncos have had nine different starting QBs since the start of the 2016 season after Peyton Manning retired.

Manning left the team a champion after their Super Bowl 50 success, but they have not been back to the playoffs since and have only recorded one winning season. They have a 32-48 record in this time.

Although Case Keenum started every game in the 2018 season, the Broncos have not otherwise had a QB start more than 11 games in succession post-Manning.

Lock has largely held down the role since midway through his rookie 2019 campaign, yet a return of 3,953 yards, with a 59.1 completion percentage, 23 touchdowns and 18 interceptions from 18 games encouraged Denver to give Bridgewater an opportunity.

At Carolina last year, Bridgewater threw for 15 TDs and 11 picks but completed a more impressive 69.1 per cent of his passes.

The Broncos headed into Week 10 on a high after a win at the Dallas Cowboys in which quarterback Bridgewater threw for 249 yards and a touchdown.

But that momentum was sapped by a defeat to another NFC East team on Sunday, with Denver coming up well short in a 30-13 defeat.

Bridgewater struggled to get the ball moving back at home, averaging 6.28 yards per attempt. He has advanced 6.4 yards per attempt in losses this year, versus 8.65 yards per attempt in wins.

But it was what Bridgewater did without the ball that attracted the most attention, as the former Carolina Panthers QB was widely criticised for his role in Slay's score at the end of the third quarter.

Davion Taylor knocked the ball free as Melvin Gordon attempted to get to ground on fourth and one, with Slay recovering the fumble and then running right by Bridgewater, who made no attempt to halt his opponent, en route to the endzone.

Bridgewater reflected on the episode on Monday and accepted he did not come out of it at all well.

"It definitely was [the toughest film session to sit through], especially when you slow it down," he said.

"In real time, it's like everything's happening fast, you've got the sideline to your advantage... and then when you slow it down with the clicker in your hand, it's like man, this is bad.

"Hopefully I never have to be put in that situation again, and if I am, make sure that I lay it all on the line.

"If I am, I'm going to make sure I lay it all on the line. I won't be the talk of social media or the internet or whatever. Hopefully we can just but this behind [us] and move forward."

Bridgewater added: "I'm right there, the opportunity to just dive, sacrifice, do whatever I can to help the team in that moment.

"I failed. And I owned up to it. It's unacceptable as a football player, as a member of this team.

"We play this game, and you lay it all on the line every week, and that's one of those moments where I've just got to accept the fact that I didn't give everything I had in me on that play.

"I understand, man; there's going to be some backlash that comes with it. I'm a grown man. I'm a professional athlete. I understand that's what comes with it – backlash and things like that.

"It doesn't define who we are as a football team, it doesn't define me as a man and as a football player."

A promising season for Tagovailoa and the Dolphins has been rocked by repeated concussion concerns.

Tagovailoa hit his head against the ground twice in the same week in September, but only the second incident was logged as a concussion as he left a defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals. The first hit, against the Bills in Week 3, was described as a back issue.

The former Alabama QB missed two games then before returning, only to suffer another concussion against the Green Bay Packers on Christmas Day – one that was not identified until the following day.

Tagovailoa has not played since and will not line up against the Bills in this week's Wild Card round matchup.

Coach Mike McDaniel confirmed Tagovailoa was out, while the Dolphins are now preparing for Thompson to start as Teddy Bridgewater also remains sidelined after dislocating a finger.

Thompson's first NFL start was in Week 6, with Tagovailoa still out and backup Bridgewater also dealing with a concussion. The rookie left the game with a thumb injury.

He had to wait until Week 18 for both Tagovailoa and Bridgewater to be out again ahead of a crucial meeting with the New York Jets.

After five straight defeats, Thompson helped the Dolphins edge to a narrow 11-6 win that booked their place in the postseason, teeing up another meeting with AFC East rivals the Bills, against whom the seventh-round pick is again set to start.