How Has Tua Tagovailoa Fared vs. Steelers? Falcons QB Faces Full-Circle Test

Newly named Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has only a small sample size of his 2026 season-opening opponent, the Pittsburgh Steelers. And as fate would have it, the Steelers were the last team he played against as the Miami Dolphins’ quarterback.

The seven-year NFL veteran has faced Pittsburgh twice, breaking even with a 1-1 record.

In 2022, Tagovailoa’s Dolphins beat the Steelers 16-10. And just a season ago, the Steelers won 28-15.

The first meeting was in Miami.

Tagovailoa finished 21-for-35 and passed for 261 yards and a touchdown.

Miami took a 13-0 first-quarter lead, but never scored again after halftime. The teams shut each other out in the second half.

The Sunday Night Football matchup was his first appearance after missing two games due to a scary concussion, which left him lying on the field in a fencing response against the Cincinnati Bengals. Tagovailoa went on to lead the NFL passer rating that year, with a 105.5.

As for 2025, the Steelers were Tagovailoa’s final act in Aqua and Orange on Monday Night Football.

He completed 22 of 28 passing attempts, racked up 253 yards through the air, and tossed two touchdowns against an interception. Despite his 113.2 passer efficiency, the Pittsburgh defensive line beleaguered Tagovailoa all game and sacked him four times.

It was a tough road defeat for Miami, eliminating them from NFL playoff contention.

Days later, Tagovailoa was benched in favor of rookie Quinn Ewers for the remainder of the season. The Dolphins demoted their longtime quarterback to the emergency third string, meaning there was little chance he’d ever see the football field for them again.

Tagovailoa was cut by Miami in March and signed with Atlanta on a one-year veteran minimum contract. The Falcons named him the starting quarterback on Sept. 7 after an offseason battle with Michael Penix Jr.

Bottom line, Tagovailoa isn’t terrible against the Steelers. The Falcons only had two games last season when their quarterback had a passer rating better than 113.2: Penix in Week 4 vs. Washington (126.0) and Kirk Cousins in Week 14 vs. Tampa (117.0).

If anything, he can help the Falcons stifle a broader issue against one of the NFL’s Super Bowl-winning leaders.

All-time, the Falcons are 2-16-1, dating back to 1966. It’s Atlanta’s worst record against any NFL franchise.

The last time the Falcons beat the Steelers was in the 2006 NFL season in a high-scoring offensive battle led by quarterbacks Michael Vick and a young Ben Roethlisberger. Atlanta won 41-38 in overtime.

The other time Atlanta defeated Pittsburgh was in 1970, 27-16.

The teams most recently met in 2024, and the Steelers left Mercedes-Benz Stadium with an 18-10 triumph. It was their fifth straight win over the Falcons.

Can Atlanta and first-year head coach Kevin Stefanski reverse course against the Steelers with Tagovailoa leading the offense?

Sunday at 1 p.m. inside Acrisure Stadium will provide an answer. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. on FOX.

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