Walking into Acrisure Stadium is already tough for Atlanta, considering the Atlanta Falcons hold an ugly 2-16-1 record against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It is their worst mark against any opponent in NFL history. They haven’t beaten Pittsburgh since Michael Vick was their signal caller, back in October 2006. And new addition Tua Tagovailoa suiting up under center at this venue doesn’t help Atlanta’s case.
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The ghosts of Tua’s past are colliding with his present, with former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin pointing at the QB’s past failures against the black and gold.
During Wednesday’s NFL kickoff coverage, host Maria Taylor asked Mike Tomlin, who joined NBC’s Football Night in America crew, about the Week 1 matchup.
“It’s less about Aaron for me, and it’s more about the quarterback on the other side. His last visit to Pittsburgh didn’t go well. I was in the stadium that day. They lost. He got benched. So, I think it’s going to be a good day for Mike McCarthy, Patrick Graham, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and company,” Mike Tomlin said, according to Ari Meirov’s update on X.
All this happened as NBC insider Mike Florio dropped a highly concerning report on Tua’s Falcons situation before the NFL opener between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots.
“If it doesn’t go well for Tua and he gets benched again, I’m told there is a strong possibility the Falcons will do what the Dolphins did and cut Tua Tagovailoa.”
Now, Tomlin was referring to their December 15, 2025 clash when Pittsburgh beat Miami 28-15, with a 28-3 lead while holding the Dolphins to 93 yards through 3 quarters and sacking Tua Tagovailoa 4 times.
Though Tua finished that night, head coach Mike McDaniel benched him 2 days later for rookie Quinn Ewers.
Tua’s inability to face zone coverage was laid wide open for everyone to see. In the Dolphins’ 2nd drive of the 1st quarter, Tua horribly undercooked his pass to Jaylen Waddle in the middle against the Steelers’ zone defense. This allowed newly promoted CB Asante Samuel Jr. to step underneath the route for an easy pick.
This marked Tua’s 15th interception of the season, and surprisingly, all 15 picks came against zone coverage.
Furthermore, with Michael Penix Jr. close to returning from his ACL injury, Falcons HC Kevin Stefanski himself didn’t name him the starter beyond this Sunday’s matchup. With Cooper Rush as backup and Penix practicing in full this week, Tua Tagovailoa is short on time to prove himself.
For his part, Tua remains composed about the pressure. Speaking on Wednesday, September 9, the QB called starting in the opener “a blessing.”
“I don’t have anything to prove to anyone outside, but it’s proof to my own self that I can continue to play at a high level.”
But a disappointing outing like the one he had 8 months ago against a revamped Pittsburgh defense coordinated by Patrick Graham could put his place on the Falcons roster in danger.