Tua Tagovailoa ‘frustrated’ with Falcons debut after unceremonious Dolphins exit

At least it’s just the preseason.

Tua Tagovailoa’s first chance to impress with the Falcons did not go as planned, with the quarterback lamenting his team’s performance in a 27-7 home loss to the Broncos in the preseason opener at home on Friday night.

The ex-Dolphin completed 3 of 5 passes for 22 yards.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) recovers a fumble during the first half of a preseason NFL football game on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, in Atlanta. AP Photo/Erik Lesser

“Definitely not up to standard, not even up to par,” Tagovailoa said after leading two drives that ended in punts. “What we put out there is not a reflection of the hard work we’ve put in the first two weeks into training camp and it does no justice for the work that our coaches as well have implemented.

“It starts with me, I got to be better with that.”

Tagovailoa joined Atlanta this offseason after a poor end to his time with the Dolphins and there are plenty of questions about his effectiveness.

He’s competing with Michael Penix Jr. for the starting role in one of the more underwhelming quarterback battles in the sport.

Penix is sidelined at the moment in his return from a torn ACL suffered last November, affording Tagovailoa a chance to grab an early lead in the competition.

He did not do that Friday night.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) passes against Denver Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto (15) during the first half of a preseason NFL football game on Friday, August 14, 2026, in Atlanta. AP Photo/Mike Stewart

Tagovailoa harped on the second play of the game, a fumbled snap that put the Falcons in a 3rd-and-15 and ultimately led to a punt.

Atlanta’s second opportunity featured a completion for a first down, but two incompletions and a penalty stalled the drive.

“Both frustrated and disappointed with the way things happened tonight, as we went out there,” Tagovailoa said.

Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski didn’t specifically evaluate Tagovailoa’s performance due to the limited amount of snaps, but noted they could have been better.

He also cited the fumbled snap.

Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Falcons is pressured by Jonathon Cooper #0 and Nik Bonitto #15 of the Denver Broncos during the first quarter of an NFL preseason game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on Friday, August 14, 2026. Getty Images

Stefanski is an offensive-minded coach and will be tasked with elevating either Tagovailoa or Penix to be quality starters and afford the Falcons a chance to claim a winnable NFC South.

Tagovailoa is only 28 and once seemed like the Dolphins’ quarterback of the future, but multiple concussions and a dip in production led to Miami parting ways.

After posting career-highs in passing yards and touchdowns in 2023, Tagovailoa threw for less than 3,000 yards in each of the last two years and tossed a career-high 15 interceptions last season.

Tagovailoa is hoping to play in the team’s final two preseason games in hopes of cleaning up the sloppiness.

“With this being preseason, that gives you no excuse to go out there and put a performance like that out there on tape,” Tagovailoa said. “Not satisfied, not happy at all whatsoever. We’ll learn from this.”

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