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Tua Tagovailoa played better with a visor and badly swollen eye

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated Oct 26, 2025 3:43 PM ET

Tua Tagovailoa had to deal with an unexpected injury during the Miami Dolphins’ Week 8 game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, and some are wondering if it brought him good luck.

Tagovailoa played with a swollen eye on Sunday. CBS sideline reporter Melanie Collins said prior to the game that an illness caused Tagovailoa’s eye to swell, which was why the quarterback was warming up with sunglasses at the indoor Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.

Trent Green of CBS later added that Tagovailoa was having trouble with lights and reflections inside the dome. Because of that, Tagovailoa decided to wear a visor for the first time in his NFL career.

CBS' Trent Green says Tua will wear visor for first time in pro career and said the challenge with that is dealing with lights/reflections inside dome. https://t.co/A5xDwDnqdX
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) October 26, 2025

Tagovailoa’s left eye looked visibly puffy throughout the game:

#Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa woke up with an illness that caused his left eye to swell, but he’s playing today, per CBS.

Here's a look at his eye:

( @houtz)pic.twitter.com/xmPheSekf1
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 26, 2025

Neither the swollen eye nor the visor seemed to bother Tagovailoa one single bit.

Tagovailoa came out slinging the ball and played better than he had all season. At one point midway through the fourth quarter, the Dolphins were leading 31-3 and Tagovailoa had completed 19-of-24 passes for 187 yards and four touchdowns.

After Tagovailoa threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle late in the third quarter, he celebrated by covering his left eye as he walked to the sideline.

Jaylen Waddle is a BLUR. 43-yard TD!

MIAvsATL on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/k6ggqc9Qu1
— NFL (@NFL) October 26, 2025

Tagovailoa played horrendous in the Dolphins’ Week 7 loss to the Cleveland Browns. He turned the ball over four times and threw one of the worst interceptions of the season.

While he may not want the swollen eye to stick around, Tagovailoa should probably consider keeping the visor going forward.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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