Tua Tagovailoa Wants Another Shot as Falcons QB Battle Heats Up

Tua Tagovailoa left his Atlanta Falcons (0-1) NFL preseason debut disappointed after an underwhelming performance in a 27-7 loss to the Denver Broncos (1-0) on Friday, Aug. 14.

The seventh-year NFL veteran started the game for Atlanta, playing two series.

His sample size of playing time wasn’t too promising.

Tagovailoa completed 3-of-5 passes for 22 yards and had an early fumbled snap in his first of two drives. He recovered the football, but felt it derailed the Falcons in the blowout on their home field, Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

“We’ll start with the first drive, second play, being able to catch the snap,” Tagovailoa told reporters in locker room availability after the game.

“Off that play, we got out of rhythm. We could’ve had a decent play off a screen going to B-Rob [Falcons running back Brian Robinson Jr.], and getting everything going from there.”

Atlanta struggled to move the football downfield with Tagovailoa under center. That continued when Cooper Rush checked in and had a 6.8 quarterback rating and threw two interceptions, including a 97-yard pick-six to Jahdae Barron.

Undrafted rookie Jack Strand started the second half and finished the game. He was the only quarterback to lead an Atlanta scoring drive, punching in a one-yard sneak.

“Definitely not up to standard. Not even up to par,” Tagovailoa said. “What we put out there is not a reflection of the hard work that we’ve put in the first two weeks into training camp. It does no justice for the work that our coaches have implemented. It starts with me; I’ve got to be better with that.”

Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski says he plans to play starters in this past Friday’s preseason opener, rest them against the Indianapolis Colts (0-0-1) on Aug. 22, and then play the first-teamers again on the road and in the finale versus the Miami Dolphins (0-1).

However, with the regular season less than a month away and two preseason games left, Tagovailoa hopes to have another chance to prove himself worthy to be the answer to the Falcons’ quarterback problems. The former Miami Dolphins starter signed a one-year deal in March to battle last year’s starter and fellow left-handed quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who can be cleared for 11-on-11 training camp activities “any day now,” from a partially torn left ACL.

Tagovailoa has gotten most of the 11-on-11 reps while Penix has picked up significant 7-on-7 snaps during his rehabilitation process. Penix was dressed in full uniform on Friday, but didn’t play.

“I’d love to play in the second and the third, whichever ones,” Tagovailoa discussed his desire to play during his preseason. “Or both of them that they let us.”

Next for the Falcons are two joint training camp practices at the Indianapolis Colts facility, which precede their preseason game next Saturday.

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