Tua Tagovailoa, who has been under fire for his performance and his comments in recent weeks, still is expected to start the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, but he was a game-day addition to the injury report because of an illness.
Tagovailoa was not given a game status designation and the Dolphins announced he would start as expected against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
As mid-morning arrived, we still didn’t know whether it would be rookie seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers or veteran free agent pick-up Zach Wilson who would serve as his backup against Atlanta.
While Tagovailoa is expected to play, the Falcons are expected to go with veteran Kirk Cousins at quarterback with 2024 first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. nursing a bone bruise on a knee he sustained in Atlanta’s 20-10 loss against the San Francisco 49ers last offseason.
Tagovailoa will go into the game without two of the team’s top playmakers in the passing game — Tyreek Hill and Darren Waller — and will be looking for a bounce-back outing against one of the best defenses in the NFL.
The Falcons will come into the game ranked second in the NFL in total defense, first in passing yards allowed per game, and third in interception rate.
Here’s how good the Falcons have been in pass defense so far this season: The most passing yards they’ve allowed to any quarterback this season is 180, and that came from Josh Allen on the night the Falcons handed the Buffalo Bills a 24-14 loss.
Even in their season-opening loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which came when former kicker Younghoe Koo missed a late field goal attempt, the Falcons held Baker Mayfield to only 167 passing yards.
So it looks like a tough task indeed for Tagovailoa and the Dolphins passing game. The fact that Tagovailoa is dealing with an illness won’t make it any easier.
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