Tua Tagovailoa – December 17, 2022 (Postgame)
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Saturday, December 17, 2022
Postgame – Buffalo
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(As you’re watching that last drive, what’s going through your mind after not being able to get into field goal range?) – “First off, we’re playing a really good team in a tough environment, and we understood all of that. They executed well throughout that drive. There were some plays that I know that we wish we could have had back on both sides, defensively and offensively, but they executed better on that last drive, and they did more than we did to come out with the win. It was tough to see that, but that’s just the way the game goes sometimes.”
(What are your feelings of watching that unfold when you want an opportunity to get the ball back?) – “Yeah, offensively we wanted an opportunity, but if you look at how the game went as well, we did have opportunities and we didn’t execute the way we said we wanted to on all our drives. But needless to say, all credit to the Bills defense, to their coaches, to their DC, for the way they came out and game-planned against us. If this is how games are going to be, down to the wire, then then so be it. It really shows you know how much you need to execute offensively, defensively, in the special teams, in all phases of the game to come out with a win against a team like this.”
(How did the run game affect the offense today?) – “I think it opened up things for us offensively like it has in previous games where we’ve found success in the pass game. We were balanced. We did have opportunities where we could run RPOs, and then there were times where it’s, ‘Hey, mano a mano.’ You guys know we’re going to run with the personnel we have in the game, and we just try to out execute the opposing team. So we found success tonight in the passing game also due to how efficient we were running the ball.”
(Did you come into the game, intending to run the way you did? Or did you see that the run game was working and just stuck with it?) – “We came into the game wanting to run the ball, get everyone situated upfront with the linemen, with our receivers kind of hitting a couple blocks before we decided to open up the passing game. But we really wanted to establish ourselves in the run game this game. Really, that was the game plan, and we built off of that throughout the game.”
(Now 0-3, that’s not where you want to be, but as a leader and as a captain, what do you tell the guys to get them bouncing back and get them right?) – “I would say I’m very proud of the way our leaders stepped up in this game. In some of the biggest moments, in crucial moments of the game, our leaders had made big plays in this game. I think our team is taking a step in the right direction, but it’s tough when a lot of the guys on the team have that, ‘it’s my fault’ mentality to not go into a deep hole. I think that’s the learning lesson for everyone, me included, that we have four quarters. We don’t have to press. We don’t have to get down on ourselves. They’re good too. They’re going to make plays, and that’s why you learn to trust. That’s why it’s, in my opinion, the greatest team sport that if our defense gets us the ball, they trust that we have to go and put points on the board. That’s all it is. I’m just really proud of our guys. They came out and the environment was electric. The atmosphere was crazy, a little chilly, but regardless of that, I think we played we played a great game.”
(You’re down to your last three games and the playoffs are on the line. The margin for error gets very small. What’s this team’s mindset going into this last stretch?) – “I think for our team, for us in general, we’re not looking at, ‘Hey, we need to win this game and the next game in the following game. Alright, we’ve came back home with three losses. Why in this game did we come out with a loss? What can we get better from this loss to go into next week to improve our chances to win?’ I would say I’m a very optimistic person; I like to look at all the goods that our team has displayed tonight against a really tough divisional opponent. I’ve said this in many, many interviews and I’ll continue to say this, we’ll look at the film. We’ll hope to get better at the things that we may have made mistakes at and hopefully we can turn the page quick.”
(Do you feel better this game than you did the last couple when you leave the stadium today? Do you feel any different than you did the last couple of weeks?) – “Well a loss is a loss, regardless of how I played or not.”
(Well not you, overall.) – I think because I would say when I come up here, I feel the pressure of how we perform offensively. I think we performed to how we think we can, but regardless of that, it sucks losing. So regardless of how much stats our guys had offensively or defensively, we lost. So none of the guys in there really care. If I threw four interceptions and we came out with a win, I mean, the guys would be excited. I mean, I’d be excited, but also disappointed at my performance. But just the grand scheme of things, we’re in this business to win.”
I was curious, there were a couple situations where you guys were second-and-short and decided to pass. Head Coach Mike McDaniel said he wanted to stay ahead of the Bills defense. What did you see from the guys and the defense with the way they were running to the ball?) – “They had many looks. They had some really good adjustments. At the end of the day, it just comes down to execution – who’s executing what’s called better. So, that’s all it was.”
(How do you feel like you handled the elements today? And how many snowballs did you get hit by?) – “I thought we, as a team, handled the elements pretty well for a team that comes from 80-degree weather. I think for our team, after this performance, we’re able to put that to rest that we can’t play in cold weather, or we can’t compete against cold weather teams. Their fans are electric. Thank God, I wasn’t hit by a snowball, but there were some near misses. There were some near misses on the sideline.”
(There were a couple of opportunities where you settled for three instead of six. What went wrong in those sequences?) – “Just execution for us on our part. You’ve got to give credit to their defense – their defense was really good. They’ve been playing together for some time, so you expect that in crucial situations from those guys. I’d also like to give a shout out to the Bills Mafia, their fans, that when – I remember when I had my concussion, they started a whole ordeal of donating to my foundation. That hasn’t been lost – I just want to throw that out and just say that I really appreciate that.”
