The Miami Dolphins carried the foul stench from their long offseason following a forgettable 2024 into Week 1 of the 2025 campaign. They looked lifeless against the Indianapolis Colts from the jump and were dominated on both sides of the ball in a 33-8 defeat. It was a flat-out embarrassing showing, particularly on offense, which falls primarily on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Tagovailoa was dreadful in the Dolphins' blowout loss to the Colts, completing 14 of 23 passes for 114 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. He also took three sacks and lost a fumble, which was recovered by his former teammate, Xavien Howard, who delivered a not-so-subtle jab at the signal-caller.
"We knew the guy, he gets the ball out pretty quick," Howard said, via Stephen Holder of ESPN. "And once we take away his first read, I feel like it's panic mode after that. And it showed yesterday. We took away his first read and he was trying to get rid of the ball real quick."
Ex-Dolphins CB Xavien Howard's blatant shot at Tua Tagovailoa gives Miami fans brutal wake-up call
The blatant dig should only further deject a demoralized Miami fan base that may already have its sights set on 2026.
Talk about fighting words. Howard ostensibly entered Indianapolis' meeting with the Dolphins with revenge on his mind. This was personal for him, and Tagovailoa got mixed in the crosshairs, whether it be intentional or not. Nevertheless, the four-time Pro Bowl cornerback didn't mince words, sending a clear and alarming message to Miami supporters that they can't trust their passer.
While Tagovailoa didn't get much help from his supporting cast or defense in Indy, he didn't do anything to elevate them or keep Miami competitive.
Daniel Jones thoroughly outperformed him in game No. 1 with the Colts, to say the least. Anyone who watched the contest or took a quick glance at the box score can tell you that; Howard's merely rubbing salt in the wound.
Being the squad to not only snap the Colts' 12-year regular-season opener winless streak, but also get played out of the building is bad enough. However, that was seemingly only the beginning of Howard's victory lap. The veteran ball hawk is leaving a path of destruction in his trail, hitting Phins Nation where it hurts most: Tagovailoa slander.
Howard spent his first nine NFL seasons with the Dolphins before getting released in March 2024, overlapping with Tagovailoa from 2020 to 2024. The former has thousands of practice reps versus the latter and knows his tendencies very well.
In other words, few are more qualified to speak on the 2020 first-round pick's field-processing skills.