‘This was a big kick in the balls’: Dolphins stars react to loss to Colts

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa picked up the first Week 1 loss of his NFL career on Sunday, as he was 4-0 in those outings leading up to the matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. But the Dolphins’ struggles away from home in recent years reared their ugly head versus the Colts, and Miami mustered just eight points in a 25-point loss.

After the loss, several of the Dolphins’ star players reacted to the team dropping to 0-1 on the season.

Third-year running back De’Von Achane — who was the only player to finish with more than nine rushing yards for Miami — made it clear that the Dolphins can’t let their performance carry over into other games this season.

Tagovailoa also touched on his careless interception he threw in the team’s opening possession of the season. The pass was intended for wide receiver Tyreek Hill, and Tagovailoa did not chalk up the mistake to Hill missing the entirety of the team’s preseason slate.

Moreover, Hill bluntly said that the loss was a “big kick in the balls” for the Dolphins. Hill had a disappointing season debut from an individual standpoint, as he didn’t necessarily perform like a player primed for a bounce-back season. He totaled just 40 receiving yards on four receptions in the first game of his fourth season as a Dolphin.

Tagovailoa claimed that the Dolphins need to make sure another game doesn’t play out in a similar fashion to Sunday’s contest and that Miami has to “look in the mirror.”

It’s hard to imagine that the Week 1 contest possibly could have panned out worse for the Dolphins, as their defense was just as bad as their offense. Miami’s defensive unit allowed the Colts to score 33 points, including 17 in just the second quarter alone.

In light of the Dolphins losing in decisive fashion, they will look to avoid their second straight loss and get in the win column when they take on the New England Patriots on Sept. 14. Fortunately for the Dolphins, the Patriots also dropped their Week 1 contest, as they lost to the Las Vegas Raiders by seven.