Hard Knocks episode 2 is a sad but needed ode to Jaelan Phillips

On Tuesday night's Hard Knocks: In Season with the Miami Dolphins NFL fans of all teams got a look at the raw emotion that players have to go through. Jaelan Phillips went through a lot.

It was uncomfortable throughout as Dolphins fans knew what was coming. Watching the friendship between Phillips and Bradley Chubb and listening to how it developed was enjoyable but a dark shadow loomed over the entire episode.

When Phillips was in the game, it was hard not to imagine what his 2023 season might have been like if he had stayed healthy. Listening to him talk about the adversity throughout his playing career at both the pro and college level including the three games he missed earlier in the season was nothing but ominous.

Of course like the rest of us, HBO knew what was coming as well. They had already lived through it like we did so naturally, they focused their attention on this week's episode on Phillips.

When Phillips went down there was no holding our collective breaths. We knew the result. Did Hard Knocks need to show all of it? Probably not. Viewers watched Phillips go from complete disbelief to shock in a matter of seconds.

In the episode, spoilers ahead, Phillips is asked by a Jets player if he was alright when he went down. He then told someone, "I think my Achilles popped." A few seconds later you could hear his teammates tell him to stop saying that, that he would be fine.

Mike McDaniel came onto the field and knelt beside him. It was then the scene became a little more uncomfortable. The realization for Phillips hit him hard as it would any player. His stoic face quickly turned to the raw emotions that took over and he visibly started to cry. His team comforted him and helped him onto the cart.

And then the Dolphins went back on the field to play football. Like every team in the NFL, injuries happen and the freak ones that come without being touched are always the worst.

In the locker room after the game, Phillips was shown being consoled by CEO Tom Garfinkel, his teammates, and even Dan Marino. He was later shown carting himself into a trainer's room back in Florida.

Hard Knocks is a very interesting show and on Tuesday night there was a lot of brotherly love shown. From the whole Phillips angle to the clear bromance between Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler, the Dolphins are a team that will pick themselves up and move forward. Not because they have no choice but because that is who they are.