Ryan Tannehill’s Injury Isn’t Death Knell for Surprising Miami Dolphins

Week 14 of the NFL season was the epitome of an old saying for the Miami Dolphins.

“I’ve got good news, and I’ve got bad news.”

The good news was a win over the Arizona Cardinals that lifted the surprising Dolphins to 8-5 and kept them in the chase for an AFC wild-card spot.

The bad news was a potentially serious knee injury to Ryan Tannehill, one that could both shelve Miami’s starting quarterback and its hopes of reaching the playoffs.

But all is not lost in sunny South Florida. Tannehill’s injury may not be season-ending.

His absence won’t be either.

It didn’t look good last Sunday against the Cardinals. Not long after Tannehill went to the ground in a heap after a hit from Arizona’s Calais Campbell, reports circulated that the Dolphins believed the 28-year-old had torn his ACL.

However, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweeted, an MRI revealed the damage to Tannehill’s knee isn’t as bad as feared:

Why MRI is important: #Dolphins coach Adam Gase says QB Ryan Tannehill has an ACL and MCL sprain (not tear). No timetable yet.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 12, 2016

Head coach Adam Gase was both optimistic and realistic while speaking to ESPN’s James Walker. “It’s better [news] than what we thought yesterday,” Gase said, adding, “This is not going to be one game. It’s going to be longer than that.”

The prevailing belief is the Dolphins will trot out backup Matt Moore this Saturday night against the New York Jets and next week against the Buffalo Bills. Then, if the Dolphins are still in the hunt and Tannehill won’t risk further damage by playing, its possible Miami could have its starter back for the Week 17 tilt at Hard Rock Stadium against the New England Patriots.

There’s ample reason to think the Dolphins will indeed face that difficult decision—that Miami will play for more than pride in Week 17.

For starters, the Dolphins’ next two AFC East foes aren’t powerhouses. The Jets are 4-9 with one victory over a team with a winning record in 2016. They’ve dropped four of their last five games, with their one win over that span coming against a pitiful San Francisco 49ers club last week.

The Buffalo Bills are 6-7, and like the Jets, they have all of one victory over a team with a winning record this year. That was against the Tom Brady-less New England …

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