MIAMI — Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion in the third quarter of Thursday night’s 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills, the third such concussion diagnosed in his NFL career.

There was no immediate timeline for his return.

The injury occurred when Tagovailoa, running up the middle for a first down, made hard contact with Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s forearm with his helmet. Tagovailoa immediately went into a fencing maneuver with his arms in an unnatural position.

Medical trainers monitored Tagovailoa for several minutes as players knelt around him. He was eventually able to walk off the court and into the locker room under his own power, but was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel was expected to provide an update on Tagovailoa’s condition when he spoke with reporters Friday morning.

After the game, McDaniel said Tagovailoa was in “good spirits” but wouldn’t speculate on what the next step would be for the veteran in his fifth year.

“Right now … it’s more about getting a good procedural evaluation tomorrow and taking it day by day,” McDaniel said. “The last thing on my mind is what the timeline is. We just have to evaluate and worry about my teammate. … We’ll get more information tomorrow and take it day by day.”

Dolphins offensive lineman Austin Jackson was one of the players closest to Tagovailoa after his injury. Jackson said he could see in Tagovailoa’s eyes that he “wasn’t there all the time,” and he almost immediately got down on a knee.

“Crushed. I hate to see him like that,” said Jackson, who was selected 13 picks behind Tagovailoa in the 2020 NFL draft. “Even with his history with that kind of stuff, I hate to see it. I hate that he stormed out of the pocket. I wish I could get that back for all of us. I could have been better.”

Third-year quarterback Skylar Thompson finished the game in place of Tagovailoa and will likely start if Tagovailoa is unable to play in Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks.

Thompson started three games as a rookie in 2022, including a playoff loss to Buffalo. McDaniel said he and the Dolphins have the “utmost confidence” in Thompson but did not commit to him playing against the Seahawks.

“I don’t know what our timeline is. I’m not worried about that,” McDaniel said. “We played Skylar as a rookie and with the season on the line, and found a way to win an elimination game and compete against this organization in a playoff game. I think he’s a much better player than he was then. Those are things that the team feels — I think guys really believe in Skylar, so I have total confidence in him.”

Tagovailoa was the subject of widespread attention in 2022 when he struck the back of his head on the ground during a game against the Bills. After the fall, he stumbled on his way back to the Dolphins’ huddle and briefly left the game before returning from what was described as a back injury.

The NFL and NFLPA launched a joint investigation into Tagovailoa’s treatment, resulting in the NFLPA exercising its right to fire the unaffiliated neurological consultant who cleared Tagovailoa to return to the game. The NFL also amended its concussion policy to include an ataxia clause, which allows a spotter to have players removed from a game if they exhibit certain concussion symptoms.

Four days later, Tagovailoa similarly struck the back of his head on the ground during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals and briefly fell unconscious. He was taken to a local hospital and diagnosed with a concussion, while McDaniel and the Dolphins were widely criticized for letting him play.

Tagovailoa sat out two games before returning to the field, but suffered another concussion during a Dec. 25 game against the Green Bay Packers. This time, the Dolphins sidelined him for the rest of the season.

Tagovailoa said he briefly considered retiring after the 2022 season after talking with his family. During an interview last month with “The Dan Le Batard Show,” he clarified that his mother had asked him to retire. He decided against it and spent the offseason building muscle and training in jiu-jitsu to learn how to fall without hitting his head on the ground.

When asked, McDaniel indicated that the events of the 2022 season will not impact how the team handles Tagovailoa this time around.

“I think it’s important to approach every situation … every injury with (the mentality of), ‘We’re going to address this specific situation with this specific player,'” he said. “Every situation is unique. I’m not worried about anything that’s out of my control, I’m just worried about the person, and he’ll steer the ship if we get the right information. But it’s day-to-day health … especially with concussions.”

Including his final season at Alabama, Tagovailoa has suffered four concussions in the past five years. While playing for the Crimson Tide in 2019, he was diagnosed with a concussion and a broken nose on the same play in which he infamously suffered a dislocated hip and a fracture of the posterior wall of his hip socket.

McDaniel was asked if it was safe for Tagovailoa to play football, given his history of concussions. McDaniel, who looked visibly stressed, reiterated that he did not want to speculate.

“I don’t approach things that I have a lot of theoretical expertise in. I’m just there to support my teammate,” he said. “For me to predict things that I don’t know about in my non-expertise area, I don’t think it’s appropriate. I think we’ll get more information tomorrow about where Tua is. He can spend a fair amount of time evaluating and then we’ll have conversations and progress as needed.”

Several Bills members expressed their concern and support for Tagovailoa after the game.

Coach Sean McDermott said the injury “didn’t look good” and said his thoughts and prayers were with Tagovailoa and his family. Quarterback Josh Allen called Tagovailoa an “even greater person” than a football player and wished his family the best.

“Very sad. That’s the worst part of the game,” Allen said. “Nothing but love and prayers for him and his family, and hopefully everybody sends those, because he’s going to need them. That’s the worst part of the game.”