Tua Tagovailoa’s first meeting with his old team didn’t go the way the Atlanta Falcons hoped, and the criticism came quickly. But Tyreek Hill wasn’t having it. The former Miami Dolphins star, now watching from the outside as he recovers from injury, stepped in with a blunt message for anyone doubting his former quarterback.
“Hey, get off my goat 😑” Hill posted on X.
Tua Tagovailoa’s homecoming to Hard Rock Stadium wasn’t exactly the warm welcome he might have hoped for. Playing his first game back in Miami as the Falcons’ starting quarterback, Tua only saw three series of action as Atlanta pulled ahead 7-3.
And even though the crowd was only about a third full, the fans that showed up made sure he heard them. The booing kicked off the moment he jogged off the sideline for Atlanta’s first drive, and it only got louder as he made his way into the huddle and lined up behind center Corey Levin.
Tua’s first drive went well. He led the Falcons 60 yards down the field, and Brian Robinson Jr. capped it off with a 3-yard touchdown run to make it 7-0. Then things fell apart.
The quarterback fumbled the snap on the next drive, and Miami recovered it. His third drive ended in a turnover too, when Robinson fumbled, and Dolphins linebacker Jackson Woodard scooped it up at the Miami 13.
After that, Atlanta turned to backup quarterback Cooper Rush, who came in and went 13 of 18 for 106 yards and a touchdown. Tua Tagovailoa finished his night going 7 for 8 for 95 yards and posted a 116.1 passer rating.
NBC Sports’ Nic Bodiford captured the mood best.
“It was a rough day for Tagovailoa. The Falcons quarterback was greeted by boos in his former home stadium this evening. He maintained his relatively low level of play, throwing short and, at one point, fumbling a snap, which was recovered by a Dolphins defender. It was not his worst showing, but it is unlikely to earn him the starting job either.”
It’s worth remembering the backdrop here too. Miami cut ties with Tua a little over a year after handing him a massive guaranteed contract, a move that left the team with a record salary cap hit.
However, Tyreek Hill has reasons to support him. The wide receiver registered great numbers when Tua was with the Dolphins: he posted more than 1,700 yards in 2022 and 2023, and 20 total touchdowns across those seasons. Tua also led the league with 4,624 yards in the regular season in 2023.
However, things have not been off to a good start for the veteran quarterback in Atlanta. He completed only three of five passes in the first preseason game against the Denver Broncos, throwing for only 22 yards. The Miami game was Tua’s last chance to convince the staff he deserves the QB1 job.
With the season right around the corner, it’s still an open question whether Tagovailoa will get enough time on the field at Atlanta.