Well, at least it’s still the preseason.
Tua Tagovailoa’s debut with the Falcons didn’t go as he hoped, with the quarterback expressing dissatisfaction after a 27-7 defeat to the Broncos in their preseason opener on Friday night at home.
The former Dolphin managed to complete just 3 of 5 passes for 22 yards.
“Definitely not up to par, not up to par,” Tagovailoa commented after leading two drives that ended with punts. “What we showed out there doesn’t reflect the hard work we’ve put in during the first couple of weeks of training camp, and it doesn’t do justice to our coaches’ efforts.”
“It starts with me. I need to improve.”
Having joined Atlanta this offseason following a disappointing end to his stint with the Dolphins, there are still many doubts about his effectiveness.
He’s in competition with Michael Penix Jr. for the starting position in what could be one of the most intense quarterback battles right now.
However, Penix is currently recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last November, which might have given Tagovailoa an opportunity to secure an early edge.
But he certainly didn’t capitalize on that opportunity on Friday night.
On the second play of the game, Tagovailoa seemed to stumble, fumbling a snap that ultimately resulted in a punt.
Atlanta’s next possession produced a first down, yet two fumbles and a penalty brought their momentum to a halt.
“Going into the game, I felt frustrated and disappointed with how things went tonight,” Tagovailoa admitted.
Coach Kevin Stefanski didn’t really evaluate Tagovailoa’s performance in detail due to his limited time on the field, but he did mention there’s room for improvement.
He also referred to the mishandled snap.
Stefanski, an offensive-minded coach, faces the challenge of developing either Tagovailoa or Penix into a reliable starter, aiming to position the Falcons for a chance at the NFC South title.
At just 28, Tagovailoa was considered the Dolphins’ future quarterback, but multiple concussions and a drop in performance led to his departure from Miami.
Though he set career highs in passing yards and touchdowns in 2023, he has not thrown for over 3,000 yards in each of the past two seasons and recorded a career-high 15 interceptions last year.
Tagovailoa is determined to make a better impression in the remaining preseason games.
“Being in the preseason doesn’t give us an excuse to have a performance like that on tape,” he said. “I’m not pleased and definitely not happy at all. We’ll learn from this.”
