Miami Dolphins Injury Update: QB Ryan Tannehill Exits Season After Hurting ACL

Dec 12, 2016 07:49 AM EST

On Sunday, Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill was carted off the field after suffering an ACL injury following a hit delivered by Arizona Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell. Since the QB is expected to miss the rest of the season, his absence could seriously hurt the Dolphins' playoff chances.

Tannehill got hurt during the third quarter after receiving a low hit delivered by Campbell. The impact caused Tannehill to leave the game early, which then forced the Dolphins to rely on his backup Matt Moore, Sports Illustrated reported.

Despite his injury, the Miami franchise was still able to hold their ground against the Cardinals to secure a victory with a final score of 26-23. The win was able to support the Dolphins' playoff contention following the loss to the Baltimore Ravens at Week 13.

According to early reports, Tannehill suffered an ACL injury and could miss a couple of weeks. This means Moore will be the team's lead passer when they take on the New York Jets for Week 15. But, if things don't go well for the rest of the squad, Tannehill might not be able to return for the remainder of the season.

As noted by head coach Adam Gase, Tannehill's injury does not look good.

This has serious implications on the playoff chances of the Dolphins, who are currently hanging on to tiebreakers to secure an AFC wild-card playoff spot, according to ESPN. With no room for error, the Dolphins are now dangerously close to getting kicked off the finals without Tannehill.

Although Tannehill is not the team's best player, he certainly has done a lot for the Dolphins and has emerged as an adequate leader forthe squad. Sure, he still makes a lot of mistakes such as interceptions, but Tannehill can still be a solid quarterback on his good days. 

Without him on the lineup, the Miami franchise will have to thread their dangerous playoff path with Moore. Hopefully, he is more than capable to secure additional wins for the team in order to maintain playoff contention. If not, then the team could be looking at the end of the AFC playoff hopes.