It was not a good day for Miami Dolphins quarterbacks at practice on Tuesday.
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, QBs threw six total interceptions, with half of them coming from none other than Tua Tagovailoa. On Twitter, Jackson called it “the worst QB day of camp by far.”
Tagovailoa’s accuracy was the issue. His passes weren’t going where he wanted them to go, with several of them coming in too high. He did throw some touchdowns and completed several 25-yarders, but like his interceptions, several of his passes to tight end Mike Gesicki weren’t right, with one bouncing clean off his helmet. Tagovailoa also struggled under pressure, heaving three throwaways.
The other three interceptions came from backup quarterbacks Skylar Thompson (2) and Teddy Bridgewater (1).
The defensive backs had a little interception party, with Brandon Jones and Nik Needham reeling in Tagovailoa’s errant passes (Jones caught two). Noah Igbinoghene, Elijah Campbell, and Quincy Wilson caught the other three.
Hearing that every quarterback had a bad day isn’t great news. Training camp is a chance for everyone to do the work to get back into game shape, but the clock is ticking. The season opens in less than a month, and this presumably isn’t where the Dolphins — or Tagvailoa himself — want their QB to be.
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa threw three interceptions at training camp on Tuesday. (Photo by Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
In a very sloppily played edition of “Sunday Night Football,” the Baltimore Ravens escaped with a 16-10 win over the division rival Cleveland Browns.
Baltimore moved to 8-3 with the victory, maintaining its hold on the AFC North lead and the top seed in the AFC. The Ravens overcame a four-interception game from Lamar Jackson, as the defense stifled the Browns run game — Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt combined for 36 yards on 15 carries — and harassed Baker Mayfield into poor throws throughout the evening.
Jackson was erratic through the air, but his threat as a runner kept the chains moving when the Ravens needed them to for most of the night. His spectacular touchdown toss to Mark Andrews in the third quarter ultimately proved the difference on a night where neither offense could get much going at all.
Why the Ravens won
Baltimore found a way to win a game despite four interceptions from Jackson. The Ravens defense certainly rallied in support of their quarterback, limiting the Browns to just 40 yards on the ground — the lowest rushing total Cleveland has ever had under Kevin Stefanski. Patrick Queen was all over the field throughout the game, with Harbaugh even mentioning his starting linebacker was playing with a significant rib injury.
Even though the Ravens’ offense wasn’t clicking on all cylinders, Jackson made enough plays for the in the second half to come away with the win. The Ravens overcame the worst passing game of his career thanks to a strong defensive effort against the No. 1 run offense in football.
Why the Browns lost
Cleveland just failed to capitalize on three first-half interceptions by Jackson, leading to just three points in an opening 30 minutes that were full of mistakes on both ends. The Browns had two fumbles in the midst of Jackson throwing an interception on three consecutive possession — as Mayfield finished with just a 48.6% completion rate.
The Browns were ineffective running the ball, being held to just 40 yards rushing and 2.4 yards per carry on 17 attempts. That’s not the Cleveland offense as Baltimore took away the identity from the Browns early and often.
Turning point
Jackson pointed toward Andrews on a third-and-4 from the Ravens’ 48-yard line and fired a pass toward his favorite target. Andrews, who was held on the play by Browns safety Ronnie Harrison, made a one-handed catch that put Baltimore in the red zone in a 6-3 game.
This was the catch Jackson needed to set up his spectacular play a few minutes later.
Play of the game
The Ravens’ touchdown that determined the outcome of the game goes to Jackson, who backpedaled and avoided Jadeveon Clowney before scrambling to his right with Myles Garrett coming, Jackson went to his left and saw Andrews wide open in the end zone for the 13-yard touchdown pass that put the Ravens up 13-3 in the third quarter.
Even with Jackson’s interceptions on Sunday night, he still made the biggest throw of the game when it mattered.
The quote
“Oh I’m good. I just tried to hit somebody that’s a little bit bigger than me. Took one to the face, but that’s football — that comes with it. I’m still healthy and was able to get off the field, thank God for that.” — Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen on his rib injury and how he had to exit the game.
Queen was listed as questionable to return, but said he was determined to get back in the game. He said he was hurting, but he said he was going to come back regardless.
Up next
The Ravens (8-4) travel to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers (5-5-1) in another AFC North battle next Sunday. The Browns (6-6) have a bye week before hosting the Ravens in Week 14.
Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei was benched after throwing two interceptions in the Tigers’ 27-17 loss to No. 23 Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon. Uiagalelei was reinserted on the Tigers’ final possession — a five-play touchdown drive — but it wasn’t enough to cut the double-digit deficit.
Uiagalelei was benched in the third quarter after Pitt linebacker Sirvocea Dennis read a shovel pass perfectly, intercepting it for a 50-yard pick-six to give the Panthers a 14-point advantage. It was Uiagalelei’s final pass before being benched in favor of backup quarterback Taisun Phommachanh, who saw his first major action since throwing for 75 yards against FCS South Carolina State.
The Tigers backup led the offense on a field goal-drive to cut the score to 21-10 in the third quarter. However, he completed just 3-of-7 passes for 23 yards and rushed for 15 yards in his two drives of action. Clemson was outscored 6-3 with Phommachanh in the game.
Clemson’s offense has been a slog all season and Saturday’s loss was no exception. Uiagalelei completed just 12-of-25 passes for 129 yards and two picks, while also adding 50 yards rushing. Pitt QB Kenny Pickett, a Heisman contender, threw for 302 yards and 2 touchdowns in one of the biggest wins since the program entered the ACC.
Uiagelelei has struggled mightily since entering the 2021 season as an early favorite for the Heisman Trophy. The sophomore has completed just 55.7% of his passes for 974 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. His passer rating ranks last in the ACC among qualified quarterbacks, a shocking turn from fielding elite quarterback play with No. 1 overall draft pick Trevor Lawrence under center.
Phommachanh suffered an Achilles injury in the Clemson spring game, but miraculously returned just months later in time for training camp, where he locked up the No. 2 job in practice. Phommachanh was rated the No. 4 dual-threat passer in the class of 2019 before arriving at Clemson.
Florida and LSU provided yet another memorable chapter in their rivalry on Saturday. The Tigers upset the No. 20 Gators 49-42 at Tiger Stadium in a game that LSU coach Ed Orgeron desperately needed to keep his seat from getting any hotter. Tyrion Davis-Price’s 287 rushing yards were an LSU record and the most ever allowed by Florida to an opposing running back, breaking the previous mark of 238 yards set by Georgia legend Herschel Walker in 1980.
LSU’s defense wasn’t great, but it came away with four interceptions, the last one being a game-clinching pick by Damone Clark with just under two minutes remaining. The win improves LSU, a 12-point underdog at kickoff, to 4-3 and should momentary cool the hot seat for Orgeron, who still must navigate upcoming games against No. 13 Ole Miss, No. 5 Alabama, No. 17 Arkansas and No. 21 Texas A&M with an injury-depleted roster in the weeks ahead.
The loss will raise the temperature a bit around Florida, which is also 4-3 (2-3 SEC). The Gators opted to go with redshirt freshman Anthony Richardson at quarterback for much of the game after starter Emory Jones threw two interceptions. While Richardson provided a spark with three touchdowns through the air and another on the ground, he also threw two interceptions.
It appeared Florida may have flipped the momentum entering halftime, when Jones found Justin Shorter for a 42-yard touchdown on a heave during the final play of the first half. But Davis-Price couldn’t be stopped as an LSU rushing offense that entered ranked 127th in the FBS suddenly came alive.
Having lost three of its last five games, the Gators’ next opponent will be top-ranked Georgia in Jacksonville on Oct. 30.
