If there was hope that Tyreek Hill could somehow return this year, it has all gone out the window since Adam Schefter reported during the game that the Dolphins fear Hill suffered a dislocated knee.
Tagovailoa met with ESPN's Peter Schrager immediately after the game and wasted no time offering his prayers for Hill.
"My prayers go out to all the guys that got injured tonight. My boy Tyreek," Tagovailoa said.
Following the game, Tagovailoa met with reporters and said that after Hill went down, they took a "next man up mentality." Hill was clearly at the forefront of the team's mind as they defeated the Jets to improve to 1-3 on the season.
Tua Tagovailoa will have to find a way to succeed without his go-to WR, Tyreek Hill.
Tagovailoa didn't speak on the injury much more than that, but he did point out that Hill's reaction was typical of his character and personality. Hill was shown on the video boards clapping and smiling. Tagovailoa said he was joking with him when he came over to see him.
Hill missed nearly four weeks of practice before the start of the season due to an oblique injury. At the time, Tagovailoa said that with Hill out, he was having more opportunities to gain a rapport with his other receivers. He will soon find out if that will pay off.
The Dolphins' offense is built around two things: Tagovailoa's quick release and Hill's speed. Tagovailoa is going to have to find a new player to rely on.
After Hill left the game, the Dolphins were still able to move the ball, but Tagovailoa wasn't nearly as crisp with his reads. This will need to be closely monitored going forward. Last season, the Dolphins struggled with Hill at less than 100 percent. He will now have to rely more heavily on Jaylen Waddle.
Offensively, the passing game now falls into the hands of Waddle, who will have to face every opponent's best cornerback every week. Still, more importantly, he needs to step into Hill's role in Mike McDaniel's offense, and that means Tagovailoa has to be able to make his adjustments as well.