Aaron Rodgers lost a fifth straight game for just the second time in his NFL career as the Green Bay Packers were upset again by NFC North rivals the Detroit Lions.

The Packers are enduring a torrid season and fell to 3-6 with this latest 15-9 defeat on Sunday.

Green Bay had not previously lost five in a row since 2008 – Rodgers' first year as a starter – but there is no sign of their misery ending any time soon.

Rodgers, previously so dominant in division matchups, threw three interceptions in a game for only the fifth time in his career and for the first time against NFC North opponents.

Two of those came with the game still scoreless, giving the lowly Lions a foothold they fought hard to protect.

Detroit had traded T.J. Hockenson within the division to the Minnesota Vikings at the deadline, but that void was filled by a pair of career-first touchdown catches from tight ends.

Shane Zylstra – elevated from the practice squad on Saturday alongside wide receiver brother Brandon – got the Lions on the board with his first catch of the year, while rookie James Mitchell's score at the start of the fourth quarter ultimately proved decisive.

Bills loss leaves AFC East in the balance

The fourth of Rodgers' five successive defeats had come against the Buffalo Bills last week, but Josh Allen was also on the end of a shock loss on Sunday as the New York Jets blew the AFC wide open. Despite two rushing TDs, Allen was every bit as hapless as Rodgers through the air as he threw two interceptions in the Jets' tense 20-17 win.

With the Bills 6-2 and the Jets 6-3, the AFC East is among the year's closest fought divisions, with the Miami Dolphins just about improving to 6-3 by fending off the Chicago Bears 35-32. Justin Fields kept the Bears in touch, throwing three TD passes and rushing for 178 yards – a Super Bowl era record among quarterbacks. His stunning 61-yard TD run was the longest of his career.

Mixon makes hay with Bengals' first five-TD game

There was no late drama in the game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Carolina Panthers, which was dominated by running back Joe Mixon. He rushed for four TDs and had five total scores – also catching a Joe Burrow pass. It was just the ninth five-plus-TD game of the Super Bowl era – and the first by a Bengal – and set up a 42-21 victory.

Cleveland Browns franchise player Myles Garrett enjoyed sticking it to Joe Burrow with a convincing 32-13 home win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Monday's AFC North showdown.

Garrett, Sione Takitaki, Deion Jones, Taven Bryan and Isaiah Thomas all collected sacks on Bengals quarterback Burrow, while A.J. Green intercepted one of his passes off a Garrett deflection, and Tommy Togiai recovered the ball when Burrow fumbled.

It was a stat-stuffing performance from the Browns defense, holding the Bengals scoreless through the first three quarters to snap a four-game losing streak.

Garrett said this was a game his team were taking personally, indicating they felt disrespected by preseason comments from the Bengals.

"Heck yeah, we really wanted to get after them," he said. "They definitely had this one circled, as well.

"We all wanted to get after them after what they said about our defense and what they were going to do. We can’t wait to see them again in their house."

On Burrow, Garrett said: "I don't know if it's him saying the sacks are underrated or the wide receivers talking about our defensive backs, but I guess they just light a fire in us and we are able to get after them a little differently.

"Burrow and I are cool off the field, but in between the goal line and me, he is going to have to take that L."

Tallying one and a half sacks, Garrett is now fifth in the NFL with seven and a half for the season, but he said the most enjoyable part of this game was that everybody was getting involved.

"That first tipped pass leading to an interception, and then that sack," he said. "It felt like everyone was like 'the bank is open – everyone grab something'.

"I was rushing to get to the passer to make a big play, but there were a lot of guys playing lights out – it was just beautiful to see.

"[We were] just confident, just liked the matchup. [Burrow] is a great quarterback, and it is difficult to get to him, especially with how quick they get the ball off, but if and when we make him bring the ball down, we are rushing and we are going to get there.

"We had enough time to get there and have an effect on the game."

Garrett went on to talk about how he feels this could be a turning point for the Browns (3-5) as they take their momentum into their bye week.

"I think we have what it takes," he said. "We have taken our lumps, but we will show what we have and our dedication to the game and what it takes to get wins in this league, because they don’t come easily.

"Right now, to get a win like this, and in a dominant fashion, it is showing the guys how good we can really be.

"I don’t want to say perfect – perfect would have been a shutout, but it was damn close. It was a fun one to play in because it felt like everything was clicking all over the field."

The Cleveland Browns were never in any trouble during their 32-13 home triumph over the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday.

Things got off to a poor start for the visiting Bengals, with quarterback Joe Burrow throwing an interception on the opening drive of the game.

After a scoreless first quarter, Nick Chubb powered home a three-yard touchdown run early in the second period, also converting the two-point conversion, and a late field goal would give his Browns an 11-0 lead at the long break.

The Browns came out of halftime strongly, manufacturing an 11-play drive that culminated in a three-yard touchdown scamper from quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

A four-yard goal-line fade to Amari Cooper blew out the margin to 25-0, before a few late touchdowns finally put some Bengals points on the board.

Burrow ended up completing touchdown passes to Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins to salvage a respectable day, completing 25 of his 35 passes for 232 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Brissett was strong, completing 17-of-22 for 278 yards, one touchdown and one fumble, but Chubb was the engine that made the offense move.

Chubb ran the ball 23 times for 101 yards and two touchdowns, while through the air it was Cooper leading the way with five catches for 131 yards and a score.

With the win, the Browns snapped a four-game losing streak and moved to 3-5. They remain behind the Bengals (4-4) and the Baltimore Ravens (5-3) in the AFC North.

Ja'Marr Chase could be set for injured reserve following a hip injury, potentially slowing the Cincinnati Bengals' momentum as they recover from a tough start in 2022.

Second-year wide receiver Chase sustained the injury against the New Orleans Saints in Week 6, although he still caught two touchdown passes in that game and two more against the Atlanta Falcons last week, tallying 262 receiving yards across the two games combined.

Despite initially playing through the issue, Chase appeared on the Bengals' injury report on Thursday.

Coach Zac Taylor suggested the injury would be assessed daily, but ESPN subsequently reported Chase was facing four to six weeks on the sideline after seeing a specialist.

That would represent a huge blow to the Bengals, who started 0-2 after losing Super Bowl LVI but have recovered to 4-3.

As last year, when his 1,455 receiving yards set a rookie record for the Super Bowl era, Chase leads the Cincinnati receiving corps, tallying 605 yards and six touchdowns from 47 catches.

However, the Bengals are the only team in the NFL to have three players with at least 400 receiving yards, with Chase joined by Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins (both 455).

Boyd led the way with 155 yards in last week's 35-17 defeat of the Falcons, in which quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 481 yards – the third-most in a regular-season Bengals game all-time – and three TDs, rushing for a further 20 yards and a score.

Burrow endured a dismal start to the year, with four interceptions and seven sacks against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1, but now looks back to his best.

The QB's 11.45 yards per attempt against the Falcons represented a career high, while his completion percentage of 81.0 (34 of 42) was his second-best mark.

Burrow now faces the Cleveland Browns, a team he has never beaten in three attempts.

In fact, the Bengals have lost four straight to their AFC North rivals, their worst run in this matchup since dropping seven in a row between 1992 and 1995.

Bidding to end that run without Chase on Monday, Burrow and the Bengals are second in the division, two games ahead of the third-placed 2-5 Browns.ja

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' dismal season plumbed new depths as they remarkably lost 21-3 to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Tom Brady's Bucs had slipped to 3-3 with last week's unexpected defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the team now have a losing record for the first time since the legendary quarterback lost his 2020 debut. Only in 2002, when he missed the playoffs, had Brady previously had a losing record at the end of Week 7.

This reverse was perhaps even more surprising than the Steelers upset, as P.J. Walker, Carolina's third-choice QB, led a Panthers team who had traded away star running back Christian McCaffrey this week.

Following that trade with the San Francisco 49ers, Steve Wilks, the interim head coach since Matt Rhule's October 10 firing, insisted: "There's no such thing as tanking when it comes to myself and the guys in that locker room."

The Panthers backed up that statement by dominating Brady and the Bucs, who were held to three points or fewer for the third time in their three seasons together. A Brady offense had three points or fewer only twice in his entire New England Patriots career.

The Bucs were scoreless through three quarters, in which time Carolina scored two touchdowns – Walker with a 20-yard completion to DJ Moore, before Chuba Hubbard, with just six carries through six weeks alongside McCaffrey, ran in from 17 yards.

Ryan Succop's field goal at the start of the fourth quarter was not to set the stage for a dramatic turnaround, as Walker's 29-yard pass to Tommy Tremble completed the job.

Rodgers also loses once more

Brady's fellow veteran Aaron Rodgers also dropped to 3-4 as the Green Bay Packers lost for the third week running, beaten 23-21 by the Washington Commanders.

The Packers have suffered three straight defeats for the first time since 2018, with Rodgers unable to rally late on after a first half in which he had only 47 passing yards – his second-lowest career mark after 15 or more attempts before halftime.

Dak back but defense dominates

Dak Prescott returned from injury as the Dallas Cowboys beat the Detroit Lions 24-6, although the victory owed more to running back Ezekiel Elliott and the team's defense than their QB. Prescott threw for 207 yards and a TD, as Elliott ran in for a pair of scores while Jared Goff was sacked five times and picked off twice.

Joe Burrow, the Cincinnati Bengals' QB, was far more influential as he threw for 481 yards and three TDs in a 35-17 win against the Atlanta Falcons. That yardage ranks third in a regular season Bengals game all-time, although the 525-yard record already belongs to Burrow (v Ravens, 2021).

The Tennessee Titans' Derrick Henry enjoyed a record-setting performance in victory over AFC South rivals the Indianapolis Colts, rushing for 128 yards. He has 1287 career rushing yards versus the Colts, the most of any Titan against any one team.

Andy Dalton is set to meet his former team the Cincinnati Bengals for a third successive season, and he could join a historic club.

Quarterback Dalton left the Bengals in 2020 after spending nine years with the team. He is Cincinnati's all-time passing touchdown leader (204).

The 34-year-old spent the 2020 season with the Dallas Cowboys before heading to Chicago and the Bears last year. He is now at the New Orleans Saints, and with Jameis Winston questionable due to back and ankle injuries, is expected to start in the Week 6 clash against his old team.

Having helped the Cowboys and the Bears to wins over the Bengals over the past two seasons, Dalton could become the fourth QB since 1950 to go 3-0 or better against the team he was drafted by.

Joe Burrow replaced Dalton in Cincinnati and was the key to their charge to the Super Bowl last season.

Burrow has completed at least 60 per cent of his passes in 22 successive regular-season games, which ties him level with Steve Young for the second-longest streak in NFL history behind Drew Brees, who went 31 straight between 2018 and 2020.

The Bengals are 4-2 all-time on the road against the Saints, their second-best road record against a single opponent, yet in Taysom Hill they face a player who made history last week. 

In New Orleans' 39-32 win over the Seattle Seahawks, Hill became the first player in the league to rush for 100+ yards on 10+ yards per carry, rush for three or more touchdowns and also throw a TD pass in the same game.

Zac Taylor expects fortune to favour the Cincinnati Bengals eventually after they again came up just short in Sunday's 19-17 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens.

The Bengals went to the Super Bowl last year but have a losing 2-3 record through Week 5 in 2022.

However, each of their three defeats have seen Cincinnati lose by a field goal on the final play of the game, going down 23-20 to the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime in Week 1 and 20-17 to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2.

It was little surprise Justin Tucker similarly punished Taylor's team, with the Ravens kicker executing an NFL-record seventh game-winning field goal with time up.

Of those, this was the fourth – another record – to come with his team losing, as the Bengals failed to protect a late lead having been tied against both the Steelers and the Cowboys.

"It's tough," said coach Taylor. "We've lost three games now on the last play of the game, that's what I told the guys.

"We just have to keep taking our shots, and these things have a way of balancing out, and we are going to get some of these wins in these situations."

That the Bengals were within three points of winning was particularly painful given a hapless third-quarter series from which they failed to score any points.

Cincinnati had first-and-goal from the Baltimore two, but Taylor called two trick plays, seeing wide receiver Tyler Boyd sacked running the Philly Special on second down before Joe Burrow's attempted shovel pass up the middle to Stanley Morgan on fourth down was batted away.

"We felt good about some stuff we called, but obviously it didn't work," Taylor said.

He added: "I felt comfortable with our package going in. When it doesn't work, you wish you would have done something different."

Ja'Marr Chase, whose 12-yard catch brought the Bengals back to the two-yard line after Boyd's sack, said: "It's pretty frustrating.

"We've got to know how to execute coming into that and know which play is going to give us the right play. I don't think we did that."

Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon would later run in a touchdown from the one-yard line in the fourth quarter, but he was pass blocking on both the Philly Special and the shovel pass.

"I'm just running the play that's called," Mixon said.

The Baltimore Ravens were saved by a Justin Tucker 43-yard field goal in the final seconds to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals 19-17 on Sunday night.

Arguably the best kicker of his generation, Tucker converted all four of his field-goal attempts in the contest, also hitting from 25 yards, 37 yards and a 58-yarder in the third quarter to take the lead out of the halftime break.

Things were tied at 10-10 at the midpoint after touchdown catches from both featured tight ends, with Baltimore's Mark Andrews benefitting from a busted coverage to walk in with an easy 11-yard score, before Hayden Hurst answered right back with a 19-yard touchdown reception for the Bengals later in the second quarter.

There would be no more touchdowns until Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow converted a goal-line sneak in the first play out of the two-minute warning to take a 17-16 lead, leaving the Ravens one minute and 58 seconds to drive down into field-goal range.

After struggling to move the ball all night, the Ravens made their last drive look easy, with a couple of catches for Andrews followed by a 19-yard run by Lamar Jackson to push their way to the 25-yard line, where they would run down the clock for the final kick.

After nailing the kick, it improved Tucker's record on game-deciding field goals (in the final two minutes or overtime to tie or take the lead) to 25 out of 26 (96 per cent).

Jackson finished up completing 19 of 32 passes for 174 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while also leading the Ravens in rushing with 12 carries for 58 yards.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow admits there have been games where he has suffered sudden memory loss, adding his voice to the discussion around concussions in the NFL.

The NFL's concussion process has been a hot topic over the past fortnight, following worrying incidents involving Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

Tagovailoa had been cleared of concussion despite appearing shaky on his feet after a heavy hit against the Buffalo Bills a fortnight ago and played out the game, but he was floored by another hefty blow five days later against the Bengals.

That saw him carried off, taken immediately to hospital and diagnosed with concussion. He was ruled out of the Week 5 game against the New York Jets.

The Tagovailoa situation has led to questions about the rigour and accuracy of the league's concussion protocols, while the independent neurologist who cleared the quarterback has since been dismissed.

Burrow, who led the Bengals to Super Bowl LVI last season, revealed his jarring experiences with becoming suddenly forgetful after taking a hit in the NFL.

"I've had some [games] where I don't remember the second half, or I don't remember the entire game, or I know that I got a little dizzy at one point but nothing long-lasting," Burrow told The Colin Cowherd Podcast.

"I've been hit and forgot the rest of the game before. That's happened a couple of times. But I've never had one where I have headaches for like a week and I have symptoms of concussion after the game."

Burrow, who was Tagovailoa's opposing QB when he was carried off on a stretcher last week, added that the risk of concussion was inherent in the game.

"It's scary," Burrow said. "Everybody knows the profession that we do – it's a dangerous game – that's always a possibility. But then when it happens, you kind of collectively hold your breath.

"You can make all the rules you want to make the game as safe as you possibly can, but there's an inherent risk and danger with the game of football.

"You're going to have head injuries. You're going to tear your ACL. You're going to break your arm. That's the game that we play. That's the life that we live. And we get paid handsomely for it.

"I think going into every game, we know what we're getting ourselves into."

Zac Taylor was "just really proud" of the Cincinnati Bengals after they toppled the Miami Dolphins 27-15 – as he expressed concern for the injured Tua Tagovailoa.

The Bengals head coach saw opposition quarterback Tagovailoa taken away to hospital in the second quarter after sustaining what the Dolphins said were head and neck injuries.

Tagovailoa took a blow to the back of his head in a Josh Tupou sack and appeared to suffer a seizure upon initial contact with the pitch. It came after he also took a heavy hit in last week's win over the Buffalo Bills.

After tight losses to the Steelers and the Cowboys in the opening two weeks, there was relief in the Bengals camp that they had got back to 2-2 for the season, but concern too about the health of Tagovailoa.

Asked about how he handled talks with his players as Tagovailoa received medical attention, Taylor said: "It's a heavy moment. He's a guy with tremendous character, and you hate to see that happen.

"It's a tough moment for everybody, especially them, then to take it to third-and-long, and you've got to come out there and respond. I won't say that there's in-depth conversations going on, but certainly thinking about Tua, and that's a horrible thing to see."

It soon emerged Tagovailoa was to be discharged from hospital in what looked to be a positive update from the Dolphins.

Taylor said Thursday night's win for his Bengals players was "expected, just because we've got a great team", as a record home crowd of 67,260 watched on.

"I love this team. I love everything about them. They didn't hesitate for one second after those first two weeks when all the noise was getting out about expectations," Taylor added.

"They didn't let that affect them for one second. They just came out and answered the bell, and responded for two consecutive weeks. I'm just really proud of them on this stage, against that team. That's a really good football team – they're going to win a lot of games.

"I thought they handled every moment in this game exactly how they needed to, especially in the second half. Capitalising on turnovers, touchdowns, special teams stepping up big – that was just a great way to win a Thursday night game."

The coach rates his group as "championship calibre players" and saluted a "lights-out" performance from quarterback Joe Burrow, who completed 20 of 31 attempts for 287 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.

When it comes to defense, Taylor is confident the Bengals are among the best in the business.

"I've got a lot of faith in our defense," he said. "It's like comparing your children, so I'm not comparing them to the other [units], but we know that when need them to step up, they're going to do it. Whether that's putting pressure on the quarterback, being tight in coverage, creating those turnovers they did – that's a really explosive team."

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel described Tua Tagovailoa's injury in Thursday's 27-15 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals as a "scary moment" but revealed he will be discharged from hospital with nothing more than a concussion.

Tagovailoa was stretchered off and taken to hospital after being sacked by nose tackle Josh Tupou, with the back of the Dolphins QB's head slamming into the ground with his arms appearing to seize immediately after the impact.

Play was halted for more than 10 minutes as medical staff attended to Tagovailoa, who remained on the ground with minimal movement. The entire Dolphins team gathered at midfield during the delay.

Miami initially said Tagovailoa had suffered "head and neck injuries" before being taken to hospital.  McDaniel confirmed after the game that Tagovailoa had been cleared of any neck or back damage but had been diagnosed with concussion, although he would be discharged from hospital and travel back to Florida with the team.

"It was a scary moment," McDaniel said. "He was evaluated for concussion and he's in the concussion protocols. He was at the hospital. I believe he's about to get discharged.

"That was an emotional moment that's not part of the deal that anyone signs up for, even though you know it's a possibility in football to have something that you have to get taken off on a stretcher.

"All of his teammates, myself, were all very concerned. The best news we could get is that everything has checked out and he didn’t have anything more serious than a concussion. He'll be flying back with us on the plane."

The incident came on a short turnaround after Tagovailoa had a concussion scare in Sunday's 21-19 win over the Buffalo Bills, appearing dazed before his knees buckled after a heavy hit. He passed protocols at half-time and was able to play the game out.

Tagovailoa was limited at practice this week, although the Dolphins said that was due to back and ankle problems, rather than any head knock or concussion.

The NFL Players' Association had initiated an investigation into the process around the decision to permit Tagovailoa to play on against the Bills and reiterated that during Thursday's game.

"Player health and safety is at the core of the union's mission," the NFLPA said in a statement on Twitter. "Our concern tonight is for Tua and we hope for a full and speedy recovery. Our investigation into the potential protocol violation is ongoing."

The incident left both sets of players and staff along with the crowd in attendance at Cincinnati's Paul Brown Stadium shocked and emotional. McDaniel admitted it was hard to carry on afterwards.

"I think a lot of people struggled," he said. "I know me personally, if I didn’t have a job to do for the organization and the rest of the players, and didn’t have that obligation in my mind, I would have tapped it.

"It's not something that's comfortable for anybody. It was not a situation that you want for any of your players or your team in general. It's scary stuff. I'm just glad it worked out."

Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill reiterated that sentiment but insisted that the organization's main priority was player health.

"Our main concern as a team and as an organization is always safety and making sure Tua is feeling alright and he's straight," Hill said.

"That's scary. I know it's football and everyone is competitive, but for a moment inside the stadium I felt everyone's prayers, even the Bengals' side.

The Miami Dolphins' winning start to the season is over and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was stretchered off in a scary incident during their 27-15 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday.

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.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been rushed to hospital after suffering head and neck injuries in Thursday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Dolphins QB appeared seriously hurt in a scary incident after he was slung to the ground in a tackle from Josh Tupou with 5:46 remaining in the second quarter.

Tagovailoa seemed immediately dazed and awkwardly raised his hands with his fingers extended while on the ground.

There was a lengthy delay as medical staff attended to the 24-year-old who remained on his back on the ground with minimal movement before he was stretchered off the field. He was immediately taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital in Cincinnati.

The Dolphins confirmed he was out of the game with head and neck injuries and added: "Tagovailoa has been taken to a local hospital for further evaluation. He is conscious and has movement in all his extremities."

The incident comes after Tagovailoa was listed as "questionable" for the game due to back and ankle problems which limited his ability to practice this week.

Tagovailoa also took a heavy hit in last week's 21-19 win over the Buffalo Bills and stumbled to the ground in the aftermath, yet was cleared of concussion and permitted to play on.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel had insisted that the proper concussion protocols were followed and that the QB was cleared by the team and the independent neurologist.

Tua Tagovailoa has been formally listed as "questionable" for the Miami Dolphins' Thursday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

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."

New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh is expecting quarterback Zach Wilson to return from injury in next Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Wilson has been sidelined since suffering a meniscus tear and bone bruise in his right knee in their preseason opener, with veteran QB Joe Flacco stepping in during his absence.

Flacco struggled in Sunday's 27-12 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, coming only seven days after his heroics with two late touchdown passes in a miracle 31-30 win over the Cleveland Browns.

Wilson, who was pick two in the 2021 NFL Draft, is expected to come immediately back in as starting QB when healthy.

"I'm expecting [him back], but until the doctors say so, I'm just going to say he's being evaluated," Saleh told reporters.

Flacco had a poor game with two interceptions, two fumbles and four sacks against the Bengals.

"It's frustrating," Saleh said. "Any time you turn the ball over and you only get one takeaway, obviously you're not going to win the football game."

Fans became increasingly frustrated at Flacco, with boos heard at MetLife Stadium following a few throwaways, while there were chants for back-up QB Mike White to come on.

Saleh insisted he never considered a QB change, while Flacco said he had no time to worry about it.

"Fans want to see you win football games," Flacco said. "You get the frustration, but it was a two-score game.

"If we put one in the end zone there ... we have more important things to worry about than listening to that stuff."

On the quarterback situation, Flacco added: "We'll see. You guys know more than I do. I'm going to keep my head down and keep working, doing all I can for this team in whatever role that may be."