The Miami Dolphins played horribly against the Colts in Week 1, but starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa did absolutely nothing to change the narrative after arguably the worst performance of his career.
Tagovailoa’s performance did nothing to boost fan optimism and only fueled more media doubt about his ability to lead this team. He had a unique opportunity to rally his teammates, but he fell short there as well.
Around the NFL, his play isn’t seen as just a bad game - it’s seen as a potential problem, and that’s starting to show in the quarterback rankings
Tua Tagovailoa's spots in QB rankings ranking says it all for Dolphins fans
On FanSided.com, the latest quarterback rankings dropped Wednesday, and needless to say, Tagovailoa’s spot plummeted from the mid-teens to near the bottom. The only small consolation for the Dolphins quarterback? He wasn’t dead last. That honor went to Russell Wilson, who landed one spot lower at No. 32.
Dolphins fans are going to have a hard time arguing about this one. Tagovailoa is obviously better than he showed against the Colts, but former Miami cornerback Xavien Howard said the quiet out loud about the former Alabama star: he panicked once Indianapolis took away his first read. That's regarded as the formula to get Tagovalioa off his game.
Tagovailoa is in his sixth NFL season, yet fans are still making excuses for his play. At some point, they have to accept that he already reached his ceiling, both as a quarterback and a leader. He doesn’t hold anyone accountable, and beyond saying he takes responsibility for his own play, he rarely shows that he actually does.
The former No. 5 overall pick showed in 2023 when he led the league in passing yards that he can play like a top quarterback consistently. The jury is still out on whether he will reach those heights again, but Dolphins will accept just adequate play after Sunday's nightmare.