If Tua Tagovailoa wanted to change the narrative around how he's viewed as a quarterback, he sent a loud message in Week 1 against the Colts - one that might have confirmed every criticism instead.
The only person on the Dolphins team who was worse than Tagovailoa on Sunday might have been his head coach. The Dolphins were lost from the first snap and never recovered. Tagovailoa's start to the season was so bad that fans are already calling for him to be replaced.
After an offseason of positive energy and a change in his leadership, Tagovailoa failed to lead his team against a Colts team that many do not expect to make the playoffs.
Tua Tagovailoa lets Dolphins fans know this could be a longer season than they expected
The good news for the Dolphins and Tagovailoa is that this is only Week 1 of the season. There are a lot more games to be played, but if this happens again in week two, things are going to go further south quickly.
Tagovailoa needs to step up and, more importantly, pull his team together and get them on the same page. This loss wasn't all on his shoulders, but he is the one who will need to step up and take control of the team.
The Dolphins' starter was replaced following his lone touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter. He finished the game 14 of 23 for 114 yards and one touchdown to two interceptions. He also lost a fumble on this second series of the game.
Zach Wilson taking over with the team trailing 33 to 8 was the icing on the cake. Benching Tagovailoa with two minutes left in regulation was the best call Mike McDaniel made all game long. There was no reason to risk Tagovailoa given the way the game had been going.
Tagovailoa has to have a bounce-back game next week against the Patriots, or the cat calls to get rid of him will only get louder.