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Miami Dolphins budding star pass rusher Jaelan Phillips was enjoying a breakout season when he entered MetLife Stadium to face the New York Jets on Black Friday. But he left the field prematurely with a season-ending Achilles injury, one that was captured by HBO’s and NFL Films’ cameras for "Hard Knocks."
As you’d expect in that moment, raw emotion was all over Phillips’ face as he came to terms with what happened on the turf in real time.
Phillips was having a great game prior to going down, securing a sack and four tackles, two of which were for losses. But he was looking to finish strong and padding those stats in what became a blowout victory for Miami.
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Jaelan Phillips of the Miami Dolphins is carted off the field after being injured during the New York Jets game at MetLife Stadium on Nov. 24, 2023, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
But when he went to burst off the line of scrimmage, something Phillips said he’s done 1,000 times before, he immediately felt a pop in his right ankle. Phillips hit the deck and that’s when everything started to set in.
"I think my s--- popped," Phillips told a teammate, as he was mic’d up for the game. "My Achilles. I think my Achilles popped bro."
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"No, no, no, you’re all right," the teammate responded.
As Phillips laid on the turf, the Dolphins’ medical staff rushed out to see what was wrong. Watching a non-contact injury, everyone on the sideline likely feared it was something serious.
"I felt like someone f---ing shot me in my f---ing Achilles," Phillips told a trainer. "I thought someone stepped on me. No f---ing way, bro! There’s no f---ing way."
Phillips sat up while trainers continued to work on him, and that’s when all the emotion came pouring out of Phillips. All the hours training in the offseason, battling with teammates at camp, fighting side by side in the regular season with the hopes of winning a Super Bowl were snatched away on one play.
Jaelan Phillips of the Miami Dolphins celebrates after making a defensive stop against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Nov. 24, 2023. (Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
"Hey, you’re OK. Hey, buddy, you’re OK," head coach Mike McDaniel said as Phillips was crying.
Phillips was placed on a medical cart with the entire Dolphins team surrounding him and showing their support. The stadium applauded Phillips as he held a towel over his eyes, still emotional about how his 2023 season came to an abrupt end.
Phillips underwent surgery to repair his Achilles on Tuesday. "Hard Knocks" showed Phillips in the Dolphins’ training room the next day, rolling around on a supportive scooter to keep his right leg off the ground. He was in better spirits, as he looked ahead, knowing he has a fantastic support system around him with rehab in the coming months.
"When I saw a clip after the game of my whole entire team surrounding me on the field, I mean, that just means everything to me," he said. "My mom was crying on Dan Marino’s shoulder. You know, they were there for me, not just me, but my family as well.
Linebacker Jaelan Phillips of the Miami Dolphins in action against the New York Jets on Nov. 24, 2023. (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
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"When this is all said and done, it’s going to make me a stronger person because of it. I’m just trying to keep that positive mindset and start to attack rehab. It’s going to be a long process, but I just know that, yeah, I’m a fighter. I’m going to keep fighting."
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