Xavien Howard criticizes Tua Tagovailoa’s performance after the Colts’ victory
Former Miami Dolphins star player and current Indianapolis Colts cornerback, Xavien Howard, offered a harsh assessment of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa following the Colts’ victory on Sunday. Howard, who was signed by the Colts last month, 18 months after being released by Miami, claimed that the Colts left Tagovailoa defenseless during Indianapolis’ 33-8 victory.Tagovailoa seemed rushed at times in the game and didn’t react well to the pressure and the varied coverages of the Colts. He had two interceptions, including one thrown to defensive end Laiatu Latu, who fooled Tagovailoa by dropping into zone coverage. He also committed a fumble when he was sacked by nickel cornerback Kenny Moore II on a blitz.We knew the guy gets the ball out very quickly. And once we take away his first read, I feel like he panics. And that was seen yesterday. We took away his first read and he tried to get rid of the ball very quickly.
Xavien Howard
This was Tagovailoa’s seventh game with at least three turnovers since entering the league in 2020. Only Trevor Lawrence of Jacksonville has more in the same period. Tagovailoa recorded a QBR of 2.7 in the game, the worst by a Dolphins starting quarterback since Josh Rosen’s 2.2 against Washington in 2019. Tagovailoa finished with 14 of 23 passes for 114 yards, and the Dolphins did not score until 6:21 remained in the final quarter. Howard, who played his first game since the last week of the 2023 season, met last month with Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, who was his position coach in Miami. The importance of facing the Dolphins did not go unnoticed by Howard, who led the NFL in interceptions twice while in Miami.You could tell by the big eyes and him getting nervous.
Laiatu Latu
Howard played 32 plays in the game and was the one who recorded the fumble recovery after Moore stripped the ball from Tagovailoa. Howard said he wanted to make an impression after Miami’s decision to part ways with him.I could barely sleep the night before the game because I was thinking about how I would feel playing against my old team. And I went out there, put my feelings aside and focused on the job, and we delivered.
Xavien Howard
I wanted to prove it. But as a team, we got the win. We definitely didn’t want them to score any points, but they got eight points. We definitely wanted a shutout.
Xavien Howard
