SEATTLE (AP) — The Miami Dolphins are again facing uncertainty at quarterback.
One week after starter Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion, backup Skylar Thompson left the game midway through the third quarter of Sunday's 24-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
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SEATTLE (AP) — The Miami Dolphins are again facing uncertainty at quarterback.
Seattle Seahawks defensive end Dre'Mont Jones (55) tackles Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson (19) after a throw during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Seattle. Thompson was taken out of the game after the play after an apparent injury. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson (19) is evaluated on the field after a play during the second half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson (19) leaves the field during the second half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson lies on the field after a play during the second half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, center, looks on from the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson warms up before an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
Thompson had what coach Mike McDaniel called a painful rib injury, leaving the Dolphins with more questions at the most important position on the field after just three weeks of the season.
Thompson's final play was a 5-yard pass to De’Von Achane with 9:46 left in the third, but he took a hard shot on the previous drive when Seahawks linebacker Tyrel Dodson hit him for a sack, one of five he took on the day.
Thompson finished 13 of 19 for 107 yards, and was replaced by Tim Boyle at quarterback.
“Half the pain or half of the frustration for him, I think was, he was really trying to find a way to not come out of the game,” McDaniel said. "And ultimately, it was pretty painful. He fought through it, but we’ll get a chance to look at him tomorrow.”
Thompson was slow to get up following the hit from Dodson and was slightly hunched over at the midsection as he ran off the field. He returned for the next series, but stayed down for several minutes after completing the pass to Achane. Thompson remained on his back for a few minutes before sitting up and walking directly to the locker room.
The injury to Thompson came a little over a week after Tagovailoa suffered his third concussion in the past two years in a loss to Buffalo. Tagovailoa was placed on injured reserve earlier this week, meaning he's not an option for the Dolphins for at least four games.
McDaniel didn't reveal what the Dolphins' plan is for the upcoming week if Thompson is unable to go for Miami's home matchup against Tennessee next Monday night. Miami did sign Tyler Huntley off the Ravens' practice squad earlier this week and he served as the third quarterback Sunday.
McDaniel sounded optimistic that the rest of the highly regarded offense would be able to bounce back, even with the team going through a roller-coaster couple of weeks under center.
“I think consistency has to be found from the nucleus in the group,” McDaniel said. “The guys that truly know the offense have to really be on it and we have to just keep chopping wood and get better fast. ... Those things happen, and you know, every single season, there’s teams that find a way to win football games when their starter, or even their backup, is out.”
It was the third significant injury for the Dolphins in the game after left tackle Terron Armstead (eye) and cornerback Kendall Fuller (concussion) were injured in the first half.
Fuller was hurt during the first quarter, was evaluated then ruled out early in the second half. Armstead’s injury was announced late in the second quarter and Kendall Lamm stepped in as his replacement.
Seattle lost significant depth on its defensive line with injuries to Byron Murphy II and Leonard Williams in the first half. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald didn't have updates on either injury.
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Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel reacts as Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson is evaluated on the field after a play during the second half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Seattle Seahawks defensive end Dre'Mont Jones (55) tackles Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson (19) after a throw during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Seattle. Thompson was taken out of the game after the play after an apparent injury. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson (19) is evaluated on the field after a play during the second half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson (19) leaves the field during the second half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson lies on the field after a play during the second half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, center, looks on from the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson warms up before an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Marxist lawmaker Anura Kumara Dissanayake won Sri Lanka’s presidential election, the Election Commission announced Sunday, after voters rejected the old political guard that has been widely accused of pushing the South Asian nation into economic ruin.
Dissanayake, whose pro-working class and anti-political elite campaigning made him popular among youth, secured victory over opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and incumbent liberal President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took over the country two years ago after its economy hit bottom.
Dissanayake received 5,740,179 votes, followed by Premadasa with 4,530,902, Election Commission data showed.
The election held Saturday was crucial as the country seeks to recover from the worst economic crisis in its history and the resulting political upheaval.
“This achievement is not the result of any single person’s work, but the collective effort of hundreds of thousands of you. Your commitment has brought us this far, and for that, I am deeply grateful. This victory belongs to all of us,” Dissanayake said in a post on X.
Outgoing President Wickremesinghe in a video statement congratulated Dissanayake and said he hoped he will carry forward the economic recovery efforts successfully. The election was a virtual referendum on Wickremesinghe’s leadership, including restructuring Sri Lanka’s debt under an International Monetary Fund bailout after it defaulted in 2022.
Dissanayake, 55, had said he would renegotiate the IMF deal to make austerity measures more bearable. Wickremesinghe had warned that any move to alter the basics of the agreement could delay the release of a fourth tranche of nearly $3 billion that is crucial to maintaining stability.
“I successfully completed the responsibility that history put on my shoulders. I was able to rescue my motherland from bankruptcy within short period of two years,” Wickremesinghe said.
Under Wickremesinghe, inflation has dropped and foreign reserves and the local currency have strengthened. A 2% economic growth is predicted this year after a 7% contraction in 2022. But Sri Lankans are still struggling with high taxes and living costs.
“Throughout our lives, we have undergone a lot of hardships and our children are also suffering now. We need to bring an end to this misery,” said Ranuka Priyanthi, 58-year-old who voted for Dissanayake. She said she expects him to rebuild the country that has been ruined by economic mismanagement and corruption.
Dissanayake’s immediate challenge would be to steady the economy “in the face of anxieties felt by business and financial groups about his Marxist and revolutionary background,” said political analyst Jehan Perera.
He said Dissanayake represented the spirit of the 2022 uprising during which angry Sri Lankans ousted then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and called for a “system change” and “new faces in politics.”
It was a strong showing for Dissanayake, who won just over 3% of votes in a previous presidential election in 2019.
His National People’s Power coalition is led by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, or People’s Liberation Front, a Marxist party that waged two unsuccessful armed insurrections in 1970s and 1980s to capture power through socialist revolution. After its defeat, the JVP entered democratic politics in 1994 and mostly played a key role in the opposition. However, they have supported several presidents and been part of governments briefly.
The NPP grouping also includes academics, civil society movements, artists, lawyers and students.
Dissanayake was first elected to Parliament in 2000 and briefly held the portfolio of agriculture and irrigation minister under then-President Chandrika Kumaratunga. He ran for president for the first time in 2019 and lost to Rajapaksa, who was ousted over the economic crisis two years later.
The government announced Thursday that it passed the final hurdle in debt restructuring by reaching an agreement in principle with private bond holders. At the time of its default, Sri Lanka’s local and foreign debt totaled $83 billion. The government says it has now restructured more than $17 billion.
The crisis resulted largely from excessive borrowing on projects that did not generate revenue. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the government’s insistence on using scarce foreign reserves to prop up the currency, the rupee, contributed to the economy’s free fall.
Follow AP's Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific
Sri Lankan opposition leader Sajith Premadasa waves as he arrives at the election commission office, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardane)
Marxist lawmaker Anura Kumara Dissanayake arrives at the election commission office after winning Sri Lankan presidential election, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardane)
Marxist lawmaker Anura Kumara Dissanayake waves as he arrives at the election commission office after winning Sri Lankan presidential election, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardane)
Marxist lawmaker Anura Kumara Dissanayake waves as he arrives at the election commission office after winning Sri Lankan presidential election, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardane)
Police commandos stand guard, as a countrywide curfew was imposed then, outside a ballot counting center during the presidential election in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Police commandos stand guard outside a ballot counting center during presidential election in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024(AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Latest update of the presidential election is displayed on a screen at a counting center, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024.(AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Latest update of the presidential election is displayed on a screen at a counting center, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024.(AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
People watch early election result showing Marxist-leaning lawmaker Anura Kumara Dissanayake in a leading position on a television screen, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardane)
Police commandos stand guard outside a ballot counting center in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardane)
Police commandos stand guard outside a ballot counting center in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardane)
Police commandos stand guard outside a ballot counting center in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardane)
Polling officials carry a sealed ballot box as they return it to a counting center at the end of voting during presidential election in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Polling officials carry a sealed ballot box as they return it to a counting center at the end of voting during presidential election in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
A police officer sits next to a sealed ballot box as polling officials prepare to return it to a counting center at the end of voting during presidential election in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
People wait in a queue to cast their votes at a polling center during the presidential election on the outskirts of Colombo , Sri Lanka Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024.(AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
A Sri Lankan family sit in a rickshaw as they leave a polling station after casting their votes in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
Elderly women leave a polling station after casting their votes during the presidential election in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
Voters gather at a polling station to cast their votes during the presidential election in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
Election officers seal the documents and ballot box at the end of voting during presidential election in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
A Sri Lankan man casts his vote at a polling station during presidential elections in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Leader and the presidential candidate of National People's Power Anura Kumara Dissanayake arrives at a polling station to cast his vote in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
