Tua Tagovailoa just officially snagged the starting quarterback job for the Atlanta Falcons, but his first public comments after winning the gig are already raising eyebrows. “I don’t have anything to prove to anyone on the outside,” Tagovailoa declared on Wednesday, according to Will McFadden of the team’s official website. He explained that he’s only out there to prove things to himself each week. That’s a bold statement, especially when you look at how things went down.
The QB Battle That Wasn’t
The Falcons officially named Tagovailoa their QB1 over Michael Penix Jr. on Monday. This wasn’t exactly a wide-open competition. Penix started nine games for Atlanta last season, but he spent most of training camp recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in 2025. He wasn’t even cleared for full practice until August 22. That’s a huge hurdle for any player, let alone a guy trying to hold onto his starting spot. Penix is now inactive for Week 1, and Cooper Rush will be Tagovailoa’s backup. It feels like Tua got the nod almost by default here, not because he totally crushed it.
Inconsistency Is Still the Word
The Falcons signed Tagovailoa as a free agent back in March after he started 76 games for the Miami Dolphins from 2020 to 2025. You’d think that experience would make his transition smooth, but it hasn’t been. He struggled with inconsistency while learning the new offense throughout camp. In his two preseason games, Tua completed 76.9 percent of his throws for 117 yards. Not terrible completion-wise, but he didn’t throw a touchdown OR an interception. Worse, he fumbled twice and lost one of them. The Atlanta starting offense just could not get into a rhythm with him under center, scoring only one touchdown in five total drives. That’s a tough look for a starting QB.
The Falcons are definitely hoping the 28-year-old can flip the switch and find his rhythm fast. They kick off their season this Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1 p.m. ET. With those preseason numbers, and Penix sidelined, Tua really needs to prove to himself, and to Atlanta fans, that he can get this offense moving right out of the gate.
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Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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