It doesn’t look like redemption is going to grace Tua Tagovailoa in his stint with the Atlanta Falcons any time soon. Especially after the game-sealing interception he threw in overtime for a loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
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Atlanta had just gotten possession of the ball in overtime. Tagovailoa, from Atlanta’s 28-yard line, connected with Drake London for a 20-yard pass. But on the very next play, another pass Tagovailoa intended for London to catch was intercepted by Ravens’ Kyle Hamilton. It brought an end to a hard-fought fight for the Falcons.
Tagovailoa was put in charge of handling overtime after quarterback Michael Penix Jr. suffered a rib injury on a sack by Ravens linebacker Tavius Robinson late in the fourth quarter.
Cue the resurgence of Tagovailoa’s infamous nickname from his Miami Dolphins days: Tua Turndaballova. It has surfaced on social media when the QB usually has a bad game, highlighted by turnovers.
The name really stuck after an extremely poor season with the Miami Dolphins last year, when Tagovailoa threw 15 interceptions, the most he had ever thrown in a single season in his career. They were the second most in the league, following only Geno Smith’s 17 picks last year.
Michael Penix Jr. and the Falcons offense had rallied against the Ravens despite the competition. Penix went 19-of-32 for 240 yards and one score before the injury. Drake London was a big contributor, posting 7 catches for 118 yards. Running back Bijan Robinson added 86 yards on the ground. Nick Folk made all three attempted field goals.
And then came Tua Tagovailoa.
But now, after Tagovailoa was called upon during an emergency and failed to deliver, the fans have shown their frustration once again.
“Never beating the Turndaballova name.”
Another fan wrote, “Tuaturntheballover has returned.”
Another fan pointed out the flaw in the passing attempt, commenting, “He has to be blind 😂 bro is literally sitting right in front of London.”
“Swear to god I felt it coming after them 2 completions. TUA TURNDABALLOVA,” another tweet read.
“Tua Turndaballova strikes again, and the ravens are on top of the north. I’m sleeping peacefully tonight,” a possibly rival fan wrote.
This interception has become one of the most viral moments in Week 5 of the season so far, and it will be a tough road for Tagavailoa to recover from this. But he will have chances to redeem himself, especially if Penix has to sit out some games in order to recover, although the duration of the injury has not yet been announced.
The interception was simply a bad look for a quarterback who was once considered among the best in his draft class. It remains to be seen if Tagovailoa gives the skeptics something more to talk about.