“Once we take away his first read, I feel like it’s panic mode after that,” Xavien Howard said about his former quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, after the Colts’ dominant 33-8 victory over the Dolphins. The QB was visibly under pressure in the game. Errors piled up on one side, and no doubt, the Colts’ defense was undeniably a real difference-maker throughout. However, not only did Howard take a jab at the rival QB. Adding to the string, another Colts player also made a bold comment about Tagovailoa while praising his team’s defense on September 10.

As Colts safety Camryn Bynum spoke to Kay Adams on the Up & Adams Show, he explained that Tagovailoa seemed confused about where the pressure was coming from. “The quarterback (Tua Tagovailoa) had no clue where the pressures were coming from just because we were mixing things up every single series, mixing up plays…..There was really no way to catch us off guard,” he said.

The Colts’ defense swarmed the Dolphins with relentless pressure. And Tagovailoa struggled to find his footing, finishing without a single completion under pressure and throwing both of his interceptions on plays where the Colts didn’t even put pressure. Several defensive backs were able to sack the QB, and Nick Cross was able to get to Tagovailoa untouched from the side to sack him.

Well, even the Colts’ own secondary was surprised by the brilliance of Lou Anarumo’s unpredictable strategy. “We were caught off guard by these calls….it was like unorthodox, but it was fun because I knew that it was throwing the offense off too….I couldn’t even predict the calls,” he said. With his calls, the defensive coordinator was outstanding throughout the game, as Indianapolis held Miami to just 78 rushing yards while outgaining them 418-211 in total offense. Pro Bowl quarterback Tagovailoa finished with only 114 passing yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 51.7 in the Week 1 defeat.

Soon, after the game, the question of whether Tagovailoa faltered after losing his first read also arose. The Pro Bowler disagreed. “I think if you look at the games where I have performed and done well, it’s when I’m also getting off of my first read and progressing, or going through the progressions, kind of like what my feed is telling me, so playing in that sense,” he explained.

However, Howard clearly had a different idea, admitting that the Colts knew exactly where to apply pressure. “We knew it was a lot of…quick throws in the middle,” Howard said. “So I told them to clog the middle and make sure they throw the ball outside. And we clogged the middle and made – I think we got two interceptions by clogging the middle,” Howard noted.

When asked if the two spoke to each other after the game, Tagovaila said the two only shared a brief conversation to catch up. While Tagovailoa didn’t directly respond to Howard’s comment, the Dolphins’ coach, Mike McDaniel, also avoided addressing them head-on, though he did have some strong words for his quarterback.

Mike McDaniel dropped a brutal take on Tua Tagovailoa’s performance

The three-turnover game left plenty of questions around the quarterback. And the Dolphins Coach didn’t mince his words, while admitting, “I saw quarterback play that was less than to be desired [on Sunday], which Tua absolutely knows. He’s the franchise quarterback. (via  Miami Herald).”

The coach felt that some of the mistakes might have stemmed from the quarterback shaking off rust after months without game action, but he quickly shifted focus to the upcoming matchup. “I also know he’s very much like most quarterbacks, where you are putting a lot of work into something and your first time doing it for four quarters in months, you are not at your best,” he explained while giving the ultimatum that the team must elevate their game and avoid making the same mistakes as before.

That same urgency to improve was seen in the quarterback, too, who acknowledged his struggles with turnovers. Since entering the league in 2020, he has had seven games with three turnovers. Tagovailoa knows that cutting down on those errors is the only way ahead to have any hope for success as they prepare to face the Patriots. What the team needs now is for this to happen in the games. Or it could be troubling for both the coach and the QB, and perhaps the GM too. And just like the coach said, it has to be for every player on the roster to step up.