The Miami Dolphins have struggled through training camp and the first preseason game, but may have hit a new low in Wednesday's joint practice with the Detroit Lions. Reporters watching practice noted that Detroit outclassed the Dolphins on both offense and defense, with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa struggling with timing and mistakes against the aggressive Lions' secondary. Speaking to reporters after practice, Tagovailoa refused to give himself a grade but admitted that his team was frustrated against the NFC Super Bowl contenders.
Tua Tagovailoa Doesn't Hold Back After Dolphins 'Embarrassed' By Lions originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Miami Dolphins have struggled through training camp and the first preseason game, but may have hit a new low in Wednesday's joint practice with the Detroit Lions.
Reporters watching practice noted that Detroit outclassed the Dolphins on both offense and defense, with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa struggling with timing and mistakes against the aggressive Lions' secondary.
Speaking to reporters after practice, Tagovailoa refused to give himself a grade but admitted that his team was frustrated against the NFC Super Bowl contenders.
"For a grade, I wouldn't give myself a grade," Tagovailoa said, via NFL.com. "I don't think that's fair to grade yourself.
"My assessment -- I still wouldn't give myself a grade. I think that's for you guys to do with however you guys report that and whatnot. I think today offensively was a very frustrating day in regards to what we wanted to do, what we said we wanted to do. Came out and we just weren't able to get things jumpstarted, so that was very frustrating today."
Tagovailoa is coming off a season where he appeared in just 11 games, completing 72.9% of his passes for 2,867 yards with 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Dolphins Struggled in 'Lopsided' Practice
Chris Cwik of Yahoo Sports noted that the Dolphins were "embarrassed" by the Lions in Wednesday's practice, which came after Miami already stumbled through mistakes in their preseason opener against the Chicago Bears.
The Athletic's Colton Pouncy had an even more brutal assessment, calling it one of the worst performances he had seen from a team.
"That was the most lopsided joint practice I’ve ever seen. Lions dominated both sides," Pouncy shared in a post on X.
The practice may not bode well for Tagovailoa and the Dolphins, who dropped to 8-9 last season and return to a division with Super Bowl contending Buffalo Bills and a rising New England Patriots team.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Football
