MIAMI GARDENS, Fla — Tua Tagovailoa heard the boos, but he also left Hard Rock Stadium with a win.
Tagovailoa returned to Miami for the first time as an NFL opponent Friday night, helping the Atlanta Falcons beat the Dolphins 17-12 in the preseason finale.
The loss dropped Miami to 0-3 in the preseason as the Dolphins now turn their attention to finalizing their 53-man roster.
Tagovailoa helped Atlanta put together a strong opening drive, capped by Bijan Robinson’s 3-yard touchdown run to give the Falcons a 7-0 lead.
Miami answered with a field goal after rookie wide receiver Chris Bell, a third-round pick out of Louisville, caught an 18-yard pass.
The Dolphins struggled to find much offensive production throughout the game, managing just four field goals.
Tagovailoa also had a costly mistake in the second quarter when he fumbled a snap, but Miami recovered.
While the game was a preseason matchup, Tagovailoa’s return to Hard Rock Stadium carried plenty of significance. He spent his first six NFL seasons with the Dolphins before joining the Falcons.
Tagovailoa acknowledged hearing the boos from the Miami crowd but said his time with the Dolphins remains special.
“Well, of course I did,” Tagovailoa said. “But, you know, needless to say, like being able to come back here, like I’ve had six years here, and those are probably some of the best six years of my life. I love the city.”
Tagovailoa made the Pro Bowl during his time in Miami and accomplished several other milestones with the Dolphins but admitted that he wasn’t playing at a high level in his final season with the Dolphins.
“I wasn’t playing up to the standard I had been playing in years past,” he said. “You have to be real with yourself.”
Meanwhile, Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley said the team now faces difficult decisions as it works to get down to 53 players.
“We got a lot of tough guys in that locker room that love football that are gonna be really, really strong pieces for our foundation as we go forward, and I’m proud of them and I’m sad that, you know, tomorrow, you know, there’s gonna be a lot of hard decisions to make,” Hafley said.
The Dolphins will now shift their focus to the regular season after finishing the preseason without a win.
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