Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins' offense got off to an abysmal start in the 2025 season opener as they fell 33–8 to the Colts. Less than two years removed from the Dolphins leading the NFL in scoring offense and Tagovailoa leading the league in passing yards, Miami could barely get anything going on Sunday while Tagovailoa committed multiple bad turnovers.

Tagovailoa finished the game 14-for-23 for 114 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions and a fumble. The Dolphins' lone touchdown came in garbage time, well after the Colts had won the game.

After the game, Colts cornerback Xavien Howard, who previously played alongside Tagovailoa on the Dolphins from 2020 to '23, shared that Indianapolis utilized a simple plan to limit Tagovailoa.

“We knew [Tua], he gets the ball out pretty quick," Howard said. "And once we take away his first read, I feel like it's panic mode after that. It showed yesterday, we took away his first read and he was trying to get rid of the ball real quick."

Addressing Howard's comments on Wednesday, Tagovailoa disagreed with that stance, and overall doesn't seem to let the outside noise affect him.

"I got to talk to him after the game. Still got a lot of respect for him," Tagovailoa said. If you look at the games I have performed and done well, it's when I'm also getting off of my first read and progressing or going through the progressions."

Along with the comments from Howard, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel also got honest on Tagovailoa's play, saying, "I think I saw quarterback play that was less than to be desired."

While it was only one game, Tagovailoa has drawn significant scrutiny after such a subpar outing against the Colts. As the Dolphins prepare to face the Patriots, the pressure will be on for Tagovailoa to rebound and play much better.

More NFL on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tua Tagovailoa Responds to Critical Comments From Former Dolphins Teammate.

Test hyperlink for boilerplate