Tua Tagovailoa disappointed with own play in Falcons debut after Michael Penix Jr. gesture
Tua Tagovailoa disappointed with own play in Falcons debut after Michael Penix Jr. gesture
Oscar Maung-Haley Sat, August 15, 2026 at 7:47 AM UTC
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Tua Tagovailoa fumbled the ball on his second snap as a Falcons player -Credit:Getty
Tua Tagovailoa has admitted he must be better moving forward after his disappointing preseason debut with the Atlanta Falcons.
Friday night saw the Falcons fall 27-7 to the Denver Broncos, with Tagovailoa, who signed with Atlanta this past offseason, going 3-of-5 passing for 22 yards on two series. On his second snap of the Falcons' opening series, the former Dolphins quarterback fumbled the ball, something that he was frustrated by when speaking to reporters postgame.
"Definitely not up to standard, not up to par," said Tagovailoa of his performance. "We'll start with the first drive, second play, being able to catch the snap, little things like that.
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"Just thinking about it, what we put out there is not a reflection of the hard work that 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
"So, it starts with me; I've got to be better with that. I thought off of that [second] play, [things] kind of got out of the rhythm."
"I think we could have had a pretty decent play off of a screen to BRob [Brian Robinson Jr.] and then kind of getting everything going from there, so it starts with me, and I've got to be better.
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Tagovailoa added, "I'm competing. I'm wanting to go out there for points on the board, not go out there and we'll go three-and-out, three-and-out ... and not be able to perform to the level that I know I'm able to do.
Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Atlanta Falcons recovers his own fumble against the Denver Broncos during the first quarter of a NFL preseason game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on August 14, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia. -Credit:Getty Images
"So always looking at everything as a competition, but just got to be better."
The preseason clash with the Falcons also produced a moment on the sideline when quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who has not yet been cleared for practice, pointed at Tagovailoa's back, prompting fans on social media to joke that the former Washington star was unimpressed by his teammates' performance as his potential replacement.
"5 minutes into Week 1 of the NFL preseason and we already got a generational meme. This season is gonna be an all-timer," wrote one user on X.
A second commented, "even Penix Jr not wasting time throwing Tua under the bus." A third said, "Ima go head and check out for the season yall not bout to give me an a heart attack this year man."
A fourth wrote, "As a saints fan this made my month already."
The reason for Penix Jr.'s point actually stemmed from him being asked to get Tagovailoa's attention.
The Falcons quarterback could be seen tapping Tagovailoa on the back with his other hand while pointing at him with his other.
Source: “AOL Sports”
