The Atlanta Falcons can feel a little better about Tua Tagovailoa if he’s needed to start at quarterback to begin the regular season.
Tagovailoa didn’t play well in the Falcons’ preseason opener and didn’t play the following week, so he had one more shot in the preseason to make a decent impression. And he looked OK in his one quarter of work against his old team, the Miami Dolphins, on Friday, though he took no chances.
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Tagovailoa didn’t have a single throw more than 6 yards downfield but he completed passes, going 7-of-8 for 95 yards. Most of the yardage was on a pass behind the line of scrimmage that tight end Kyle Pitts Jr. turned into a 37-yard gain. He also lost a fumble on a snap from center, which won’t sit well with the Falcons’ coaches. The Falcons beat the Dolphins 17-12.
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It was a funny coincidence that Tagovailoa’s last shot to impress his new team before the preseason ended came against his former team.
The small crowd in Miami booed when Tagovailoa came out for his first series. He was cheered in Hard Rock Stadium many times, but his Dolphins career ended with a thud. Tagovailoa was cut this offseason after a poor 2025 campaign, and Miami took on an NFL record $99.2 million dead cap hit, which is split over two seasons.
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Tagovailoa has been working as the Falcons’ starter while Michael Penix Jr. works back from ACL surgery. Tagovailoa didn’t look good in Atlanta’s first preseason game, going 3-of-5 for 22 yards. Penix’s status for Week 1 is up in the air, which made Tagovailoa’s final preseason performance take on more importance.
Tagovailoa did fine, making good decisions on his short passes. Atlanta can feel a little better about Tagovailoa operating the offense to start the season if Penix isn’t available. The Falcons will need him to open it up a bit when the games matter.
Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa didn’t get a warm greeting from Dolphins fans on Friday. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Tagovailoa was drafted fifth overall by the Dolphins in 2020 and he had some good seasons. He led the NFL in passing yards and made a Pro Bowl in 2023, and led the NFL in completion percentage in 2024. But concussions affected his career. His play had a sharp decline, eventually leading the Dolphins to make the decision to release him. Now he’s on a one-year deal hoping to revive his career in Atlanta.
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On a third-and-11 during the Falcons’ first possession, Tagovailoa threw quickly on a screen to Pitts, who turned it into a big gain. The Falcons scored a touchdown on that drive.
The second drive ended right after it started, as Tagovailoa fumbled the snap from center and the Dolphins recovered. Tagovailoa’s night ended at the end of the first quarter.
Penix has progressed to working in 11-on-11 drills, but the Falcons will have to consider whether it’s worth it to rush Penix back for Week 1. If not, then Tagovailoa will presumably get the call. The Falcons can’t feel great about their options after the preseason, but there aren’t any more preseason games to gain more positive momentum.
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Spotlight team: Kansas City Chiefs
Not many teams use starters in the preseason, especially in the final game. Of the 26 teams that played Thursday or Friday, 22 of them sat either all or most of their starters.
However, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid believes in playing starters during the preseason. Patrick Mahomes didn’t start Friday against the Seattle Seahawks, as he comes back from a torn ACL, and running back Kenneth Walker III had the night off too, but future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce was on the field along with many other starters (the Chargers, Raiders and Falcons were the other teams to plays starters so far this week). Kelce caught a short pass from quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, made a defender miss, gained 8 yards and then did a little shimmy after the play.
The Chiefs got to take a good look at rookie running back Emmett Johnson with Walker sitting, and he looked good. In the first quarter he had a 12-yard run and looked shifty on a 14-yard reception. He has been creating buzz this month and seems to be the direct backup to Walker going into the season. In the first half he had 39 yards on seven carries and two catches for 15 yards.
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The Chiefs start the season with a home game against the Broncos. They hope being one of the few teams in the NFL to use starters in the third preseason week pays off with a fast start.
Spotlight player: Eagles WR Makai Lemon
It was good for the Eagles to see Lemon get on the field before the end of preseason.
Lemon, Philadelphia’s first-round draft pick, made his preseason debut and started. On the Eagles’ first play of the game, Lemon ran a short out route and caught a pass from Tanner McKee for 3 yards. He was targeted downfield later in the drive but the pass was broken up. Lemon made two more catches but they didn’t gain any yards as the Bengals beat the Eagles 30-13. It was clear the Eagles’ coaches wanted to get Lemon involved early after he has missed most of August. He had a hamstring injury that kept him out of most of training camp and the first two preseason games. That makes it difficult on a rookie receiver to make an impact, especially early in the season.
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Lemon is part of the group that will try to replace A.J. Brown, who was traded to the Patriots. It might be hard for the Eagles to give Lemon a prominent role early in the season, given how much time he has missed, but at least he got acclimated to NFL game action before the season starts. Lemon didn’t put up big numbers but just being on the field was a positive step.
Lemon also made a rookie mistake that won’t help his early-season role grow. He had a drop that led to an interception, which isn’t the kind of error that will be tolerated in the regular season.
Other games
Baltimore Ravens 41, Washington Commanders 3: Neither team used starters. Tyler Huntley started at quarterback and his first drive was a good one, completing all four passes for 61 yards including a 25-yard touchdown to Chris Moore. Huntley, who is Lamar Jackson’s clear backup, came out after that drive.
Carolina Panthers 16, Houston Texans 13: Neither team used starters on a rainy night in Charlotte. Texans quarterback Davis Mills, who started and is likely to be C.J. Stroud’s backup this season, struggled in the bad weather. He went 3-of-7 for 18 yards and tossed an interception to Panthers safety Lathan Ransom.
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Jacksonville Jaguars 19, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0: Both teams rested their starters. That made it a big night for Buccaneers running back Sean Tucker, who appears to be on the roster bubble as the preseason ends. He had five carries for 15 yards and also had a catch, though it lost a yard.
New York Giants 23, New York Jets 6: Both teams held out starters, including Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, whose reckless play has led to many trips to the blue medical tent in his short career. Jameis Winston got the start at quarterback for the Giants. Odell Beckham Jr., who is on the bubble to make the roster, played and he had a pass go off his hands for an interception. Last week, Beckham dropped a pass in the end zone.
Beckham did have three catches for 53 yards against the Jets, and also made a great move to get wide open deep but was overthrown and couldn’t make a diving catch.
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New Orleans Saints 27, Dallas Cowboys 24: Neither team played starters, but the Saints had an important backup quarterback battle to track. Spencer Rattler got the start. Last week, Zach Wilson started with Rattler coming in after him. Both quarterbacks struggled in that game last week. Against the Cowboys, Rattler was efficient, completing 8 of 10 passes for 79 yards in the first half. Rattler finished his night with an 8-yard touchdown run to the corner of the end zone.
Wilson came in for the second half. He played better than last week as well, completing 9 of 12 passes for 93 yards. Rattler has appeared to be the favorite for the QB2 job for most of August.
Green Bay Packers 42, Arizona Cardinals 38: Both teams rested their starters. That gave others battling for a roster spot a chance to shine, and receiver Simi Fehoko strengthened his case to make the 53-man roster with a 41-yard touchdown catch from Gardner Minshew II.
Denver Broncos 34, Minnesota Vikings 6: As was the case with most of the league this week, neither team played starters. J.J. McCarthy didn’t play for the Vikings. He has been dealing with an ankle injury. The Vikings named Kyler Murray the starter for this season over McCarthy earlier this month, and McCarthy and Carson Wentz have been competing for QB2 duties. Wentz got the start for Minnesota on Friday. He went 3-of-4 for 15 yards before he was replaced by Max Brosmer.
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Final thoughts
• It’s worth noting that Ravens rookie receiver Ja’Kobi Lane was one of the players who didn’t suit up, along with other locked-in starters. Lane, a third-round draft pick, has drawn rave reviews from the team’s training camp. Judging by the staff’s decision to hold him out, he’s set for a big role right away.
• Kaytron Allen, a sixth-round rookie trying to find a role in an underwhelming Commanders backfield, didn’t help his case with a fumble on Washington’s first offensive play of the game.
• Dolphins receiver Chris Bell was a third-round pick despite him tearing his ACL late last season. There was speculation that he might not play until late in his rookie season, or miss it entirely as he recovered. But Bell has made a good recovery and played in his first preseason game on Friday night. He made a catch on his first play from scrimmage. He added a nice 18-yard catch over the middle later in the first quarter, converting on third-and-11.
Bell also showed some athleticism on a deep pass down the sideline, though he couldn’t bring in what would have been an excellent catch. Bell should be available for Week 1, which is a nice bonus for a Dolphins team that is very thin at receiver.
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• Dolphins linebacker Tyrel Dodson got credit for forcing the fumble on Falcons running back Brian Robinson. Dodson and second-round rookie Jacob Rodriguez will be battling for snaps alongside standout Jordyn Brooks. Rodriguez didn’t play Friday night due to injury.
• The Seahawks gave quarterback Jalen Milroe, a third-round pick last year, the full game against the Chiefs, which ended in a 9-9 tie, while top two quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Drew Lock rested. Milroe hasn’t taken the step the Seahawks wanted to see, which made Friday’s game important for him. Milroe looked good passing, including a very nice downfield toss for a 40-yard gain.
In the third quarter, Milroe hit tight end Nick Vannett for a 4-yard touchdown three plays after a touchdown run was nullified due to a penalty. Milroe finished 16-of-26 for 223 yards.
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• Former Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs got an interception for the Seahawks. He undercut a route and picked off a poorly thrown pass by Chiefs rookie Garrett Nussmeier. Diggs, who led the NFL with 11 interceptions in 2021, is battling for a roster spot in Seattle.
• Saints rookie receiver Barion Brown, a sixth-round pick, has gotten good camp reviews. He had a nice touchdown run on a jet sweep in New Orleans’ preseason finale. He could carve out a role early in the season as first-round pick Jordyn Tyson recovers from a hamstring injury.
• The Falcons played most of their starters, but Bijan Robinson is one of the players who sat. Former Commanders and 49ers back Brian Robinson Jr. got the start and scored a 3-yard touchdown on Atlanta’s first drive. Robinson, however, lost a fumble late in the first quarter.
• The Cowboys are another team still evaluating the backup quarterback position. Joe Milton III got the start on Friday with Sam Howell playing the second half. Milton, who had 179 yards and a pair of touchdowns last week, didn’t play as well in the finale. He missed some throws the Cowboys will want him to make, and finished the first half 8 of 15 for 92 yards. The Cowboys didn’t score a touchdown on any of Milton’s drives, though they got three Brandon Aubrey field goals. Howell came out hot in the second half. On one drive he hit Jordan Hudson downfield for a 52-yard gain then found Hudson for a 26-yard touchdown. Howell later hit tight end Mitch Van Vooren for a 21-yard touchdown. Howell completed 12 of 18 passes for 155 yards. Milton outplayed Howell last week, Howell got the best of Milton in the finale and now the Cowboys have to make their choice to back up Dak Prescott.
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• A new injury to monitor before Week 1: Broncos receiver Marvin Mims Jr. suffered a foot injury as he landed awkwardly after leaping near the sideline for a high pass. Mims went to the medical tent and then the locker room. Mims isn’t a big part of the Broncos’ offense but he is one of the league’s best kickoff and punt returners.
• Running back Najee Harris, recently signed by the Giants, made some plays in his first preseason action this year. He had 39 yards on 11 carries and had a 20-yard catch. The Giants also have Cam Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary at running back, but Harris made his case to stick on the final roster.
• Cardinals rookie quarterback Carson Beck didn’t play Friday due to a rib injury. He looked good in the Hall of Fame game but didn’t appear in any of Arizona’s final three preseason games. The limited preseason reps could make it more difficult to give him a chance to start later in the regular season, if the Cardinals decide to go in that direction.
• Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee, who is behind Andy Dalton on the depth chart, didn’t look good in the preseason finale. He completed 12 of 22 passes for just 55 yards and threw an interception.
