MIAMI – Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa left the field in Thursday night’s 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills after suffering a concussion in the third quarter, the third diagnosed concussion of his NFL career.

There was no immediate timetable for his return.

The injury occurred when Tagovailoa ran up the middle for a first down and struck the forearm of Bills safety Damar Hamlin with his helmet. Tagovailoa immediately responded with a fencing attack, assuming an unnatural arm position.

Medical trainers tended to Tagovailoa for several minutes while players knelt around him. He was eventually able to leave the field under his own power and walk to the locker room, but was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel was expected to discuss Tagovailoa’s condition in his call with reporters Friday morning.

After the game, McDaniel said Tagovailoa was “in good spirits” but declined to speculate on what’s next for the fifth-year veteran.

“Right now, it’s more about getting a proper evaluation of the procedure tomorrow and taking it one day at a time,” McDaniel said. “The schedule, to me, is the last thing I’m thinking about. We just need to do an evaluation and just take care of my teammate. … We’ll get more information tomorrow and then take it day by day from there.”

Dolphins offensive lineman Austin Jackson was one of the players closest to Tagovailoa after his injury. Jackson said he saw in Tagovailoa’s eyes that he “wasn’t all there,” and he dropped to his knees almost immediately.

“Devastated. I hate to see him like that,” said Jackson, who was selected 13 picks after Tagovailoa in the 2020 NFL Draft. “Even though he has a history of doing this kind of thing, I hate to see it. I hate that it was him rushing out of the pocket. I wish I could get that back for all of us. I could have been better.”

Third-year quarterback Skylar Thompson finished the game in Tagovailoa’s place and would likely start if Tagovailoa is unable to play in Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks.

Thompson started three games as a rookie in 2022, including a playoff loss away at Buffalo. McDaniel said he and the Dolphins have “utmost confidence” in Thompson, but did not commit to him playing against the Seahawks.

“I don’t know our schedule. I’m not worried about that,” McDaniel said. “We played Skylar as a freshman when the season was on the line and found a way to win an elimination game and play on equal terms in a playoff game with this very organization. I think he’s a much better player than he was back then. Those are things the team feels — I think the guys really believe in Skylar, so I have the utmost confidence in him.”

Tagovailoa attracted a lot of attention in 2022 when he hit the back of his head on the ground in a game against the Bills. After that fall, he stumbled on his way back to the Dolphins’ lineup and briefly left the game before returning from a reported back injury.

The NFL and NFLPA launched a joint investigation into the handling of Tagovailoa, which resulted in the NFLPA exercising its right to fire the independent neurological consultant who had cleared Tagovailoa to return to play. The NFL also changed its concussion policy by adding an ataxia clause – which allows a spotter to remove players from a game if they exhibit certain symptoms of a concussion.

Four days later, Tagovailoa hit the back of his head on the ground in a similar manner during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals and briefly lost consciousness. He was taken to a local hospital and diagnosed with a concussion. McDaniel and the Dolphins faced heavy criticism for allowing him to play.

Tagovailoa sat out two games before returning to the field, but suffered another concussion during a Dec. 25 game against the Green Bay Packers. This time, the Dolphins sidelined him for the rest of the season.

Tagovailoa said he briefly considered retiring after the 2022 season after talking with his family. In an interview with “The Dan Le Batard Show” last month, he clarified that his mother asked him to consider retiring. He decided against it and spent the offseason building muscle and training jiu-jitsu to learn how to fall without hitting his head on the ground.

When asked, McDaniel said that the events of the 2022 season would have no impact on how the team handles Tagovailoa this time around.

“I think it’s important to approach each individual situation … each injury with the mindset of, ‘We’re going to handle this particular situation with this particular player,'” he said. “Every situation is unique. I’m not worried about things that are out of my control, I’m just worried about the human being, and he’ll steer the ship when we get the appropriate information. But it’s about day-to-day health … especially with concussions.”

Including his final season at Alabama, Tagovailoa has been diagnosed with four concussions in the last five years. While playing for the Crimson Tide in 2019, he was diagnosed with a concussion and a broken nose in the same game in which he suffered a dislocated hip and a fracture of the posterior wall of his hip socket.

McDaniel was asked if it was safe for Tagovailoa to play football given his history of concussions. McDaniel, who appeared visibly concerned, reiterated that he did not want to speculate.

“I don’t tackle things where I’m advanced in theory or expertise. I’m just there to support my teammate,” he said. “I don’t think it’s appropriate to predict things that I don’t know in my non-specialized area. I think we’ll get more information tomorrow on where Tua is. He’ll be able to spend a lot of time getting checked out and then we’ll have conversations and move forward accordingly.”

Several members of the Bills expressed their concern and support for Tagovailoa after the game.

Coach Sean McDermott said the injury “doesn’t look good” and said his thoughts and prayers are with Tagovailoa and his family. Quarterback Josh Allen called Tagovailoa an “even greater human being” than a football player and wished his family the best.

“Very sad. This is the worst part of the game,” Allen said. “I send him and his family nothing but love and prayers, and hopefully everyone sends some because he’s going to need them. This is the worst part of the game.”