Tua Tagovailoa says he lost consciousness on the hit that sent him to the hospital on Sept. 29.

The Miami Dolphins quarterback was concussed against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4 when he hit his head on the ground while trying to extend a play. He was briefly hospitalized before being discharged and returning to Florida with the team after the game.

Tagovailoa said he doesn't remember what happened immediately after hitting his head on the ground and losing consciousness but does remember being driven to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center via ambulance.

"I wouldn't say it was scary for me at the time because there was a point where I was unconscious, so I couldn't really tell what was going on," he said. "When I did come to and kind of realized what was going on and what was happening, I didn't think of anything long term or short term. I was just wondering what happened."

Tua Tagovailoa is preparing to start for the Miami Dolphins against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.

Tagovailoa has spent the past two weeks in concussion protocol. He began football activities last week and cleared concussion protocol Saturday but was inactive for the Dolphins' loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 6. 

"He's a captain. He's a captain for a reason, and as I've told you guys from the onset, I think he's a very, very good player at that position," McDaniel said.

"So very good players, they definitely give people a boost -- not because of what other people aren't but more just because he is who he is. So he's a strong fabric of this team, and that's exciting when you get to go play with one of your brothers, which is why the team will be excited, and it will be exciting."

Tagovailoa hasn't played since Miami's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 29, when he sustained a concussion that resulted in a brief hospitalization after hitting his head on the ground. 

Matt Ryan passed for 389 yards on Sunday, allowing him to leapfrog Dan Marino for seventh on the all-time passing yardage list.

"I'm proud of that," Ryan said. "I've gotten to know Dan since I got into the league back in 2008 and I love him. He's a fun guy to be around. He was the ultimate guy when I was growing up, he'd sling it. And I remember the first time I met him he said, 'Hey, no matter what happens man, keep slinging it.' I was like 23 at the time, I was like, that's one of the coolest things I've ever heard. And here I am 37 and still remember him saying that to me. Any time you're mentioned in the same breath as Dan, it's pretty cool, and I'm proud of that."

Ryan now has 61,500 career passing yards. Next up on the all-time list are No. 6 Philip Rivers (63,440 yards) and No. 5 Ben Roethlisberger (64,088 yards).

After two-straight losses, team captains for the Miami Dolphins have removed a pingpong table from the locker room.

Tyreek Hill, Terron Armstead, Xavien Howard, Elandon Roberts and Jevon Holland decided the team needed to center their focus.

Mike McDaniel said he was "pretty pumped" about the decision, not necessarily because he thought the table should be removed, but because it was an example of his captains taking ownership of the team.

"That, to me, is leadership. To me, leadership is acting, not talking," McDaniel said. "There's a bunch of different examples from those guys, and that's why they're captains and that's why I rely on them, because it's about solving problems, not complaining about them. They, collectively, as a group of players, wanted more time investment during the week on their jobs for Sunday.

"So instead of just saying it, they did something about it."

Mike McDaniel says it's too early to say who will start at quarterback for the Miami Dolphins this weekend against the Minnesota Vikings.

Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater are both in the NFL's concussion protocol with no firm timeline to return. The Dolphins may turn to seventh-round pick Skylar Thompson to make his first start.

"It's too soon for me to really pinpoint that," McDaniel said. "There's, again, I kind of have to wait and assess the whole situation, which I do not have in scope. What I do know is that Skylar will be practicing on Wednesday and hopefully Wednesday I'll have a better feel of the direction that we should go that's best for the football team."

Thompson filled in for Bridgewater in this past Sunday's 40-17 loss to the New York Jets.

He finished the game with 166 yards on 19-of-33 passing. He also threw an interception and lost a fumble in what McDaniel called a "rough rookie outing."

The NFL and NFL Players Association's investigation into the decision to clear Tua Tagovailoa for last Thursday's game could conclude by Thursday night.

According to a report, the league wants to complete the process before the week's game between the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts.

If the concussion protocol is revised, it would make sense to implement the changes before any Week 5 games are played.

The Miami Dolphins have ruled out Tua Tagovailoa for this weekend's game against the New York Jets.

Tagovailoa continues to progress through concussion protocols.

There's no "definite timeline" for Tagovailoa's return to the field.

Tagovailoa was taken to a local hospital after his head hit the turf late in the second half of Thursday's game in Cincinnati. He was diagnosed with a concussion but was discharged from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and allowed to fly home with the team early Friday morning.