Dolphins lose Skylar Thompson to injury, then game to Vikings

MIAMI — Miami Dolphins rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson was physically unable to return to Sunday's 24-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings after he left in the first half with a thumb injury to his throwing hand, coach Mike McDaniel said.

Thompson, who made his first career start, appeared to hit his right hand on a Vikings defender's helmet while attempting a pass in the second quarter. He left for the locker room and did not return until the third quarter — but only to the sideline, not to the game.

The seventh-round pick completed 7 of 13 passes for 89 yards before leaving. McDaniel confirmed he would have «definitely stayed with» Thompson had he been able to proceed but noted he «didn't have any strength holding the ball.»

Teddy Bridgewater finished the game in place of Thompson, completing 23 of 34 passes for 329 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

It marked the third straight week that the Dolphins' starting quarterback was unable to finish the game. Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion in Week 4, and Bridgewater was placed in concussion protocol after just one snap in Week 5.

Miami also is now on a three-game losing streak after starting the season with three straight wins. McDaniel, however, said he refuses to isolate the team's quarterback luck as the driving force behind the losses.

«You can look at it as a reason for X, Y or Z — I challenge the guys not to,» he said. «We have a lot of faith in all the players that we have on this team, and the quarterbacks that we've been working with since last April, any one of them we have high expectations to go execute and succeed. Now, of course it's not ideal. You want the guys that get all the reps during the week to play, but you always know that that's a