Indianapolis Colts cornerback Xavien Howard had some choice words for how his new team handled his old squad in Week 1.
Given how long Howard was teammates with Tua Tagovailoa on the Miami Dolphins, his words stood out.
Tagovailoa was rendered ineffective in a 33-8 loss at the Colts on Sunday. Only one team playing Sunday, the New York Giants, scored fewer than Miami’s eight, which came in fourth-quarter garbage time.
“We knew the guy, he gets the ball out pretty quick,” Howard said Monday. “And once we take away his first read, I feel like it’s panic mode after that. And it showed yesterday. We took away his first read and he was trying to get rid of the ball real quick.”
Tagovailoa finished 14-of-23 passing for 114 yards with one touchdown, two interceptions and one lost fumble. Backup Zach Wilson came in for mop-up duty after Tagovailoa’s late TD toss to De’Von Achane.
Howard, 32, was named to four Pro Bowls in eight seasons with the Dolphins before he was released in March 2024. Out of football for a season, Howard signed with the Colts last month and recovered Tagovailoa’s fumble.
He overlapped with Tagovailoa in Miami from 2020-23. The Dolphins made the playoffs just once in that span.
Howard wasn’t the only Colts defensive player to remark upon Tagovailoa’s apparent deer-in-the-headlights moments.
“You could just tell with the big eyes and him getting flustered,” Indianapolis defensive end Laiatu Latu said postgame on Sunday.
