Sports

Tua Tagovailoa’s shaky Falcons debut leaves Atlanta’s QB competition wide open

Published

1 day ago

August 15, 2026

ATLANTA — Tua Tagovailoa managed one first down in two series. Kevin Stefanski is still not ready to name a starter for Week 1. And I’m here to tell you we’re all focusing on the wrong thing anyway.

The Atlanta Falcons opened the Stefanski era Friday night against the Denver Broncos in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the preseason opener for both teams. There have been better debuts. The Broncos won 27-7 as Atlanta posted nearly as many punts (eight) and penalties (nine) as first downs (11).

“Our standard for our football team remains the same whether it’s the first quarter or fourth quarter or a preseason game,” Stefanski said. “Not good enough across the board. That’s why we’ll get back to work.”

Tagovailoa, too, made his debut with the Falcons. After six years with the Dolphins, he joined Atlanta on a one-year, $1.2 million deal this offseason in hopes of finding a second act for his career. He finished 3-for-5 passing for 22 yards in two series and was upset with himself afterward for dropping the second snap of the game, leading to a 4-yard loss.

“What we put out there is not a reflection of the hard work we have put in the first two weeks of training camp,” he said. “It starts with me. I have to be better. This being preseason is no excuse to put a performance like that on tape. Not happy at all.”

Top Plays from Broncos @ Falcons

Even after Friday’s shaky start, Tagovailoa could walk into the starting job in the season opener with little competition. Michael Penix Jr. still has not been cleared for 11-on-11 work in practice, much less a game. The Falcons have joint practices against the Colts in Indianapolis next week, and Stefanski is talking as if he doesn’t expect Penix to be cleared for those, either.

If Penix is limited throughout next week, then he’d have a maximum of three weeks to compete with Tagovailoa before the Sept. 13 season opener. That doesn’t feel like enough time, even if quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt thinks he’s been able to get a good look at Penix already.

“He looks really good, throwing it really well right now,” Van Pelt said. “I love his footwork, really proud of the way he has progressed, can’t wait for him to get back.”

Despite Penix’s limitations, he has been active in practices, participating in most individual drills and taking more seven-on-seven reps than Tagovailoa as the coaching staff attempts to even out the overall number of practice snaps.

“I think we do (have enough reps to evaluate him),” Van Pelt said. “He’s done everything he can possibly do to put himself in position to compete. It’ll be a matter of time when that comes. Then we’ll reset and take a look.”

To the naked eye, Penix looks as if he could go now. He dressed out for Friday night’s game and went through the full warmup program. On the practice field, he looks healthy. And he is, he said.

“I have an amazing ACL,” Penix said. “When I went to my doctor, he’s like, ‘This is an amazing ACL. You should never have any knee problems for the rest of your career.’ That’s word for word what he told me. So I was like, ‘OK, I hear that, but it’s like, all right, now do I trust that?’”

Penix must cross a mental hurdle before he’s ready for a full return, he conceded. He’s run this race before. He knows where all the pitfalls are. Penix is recovering from his fifth season-ending injury since the beginning of his collegiate career. He’s been through ACL reconstruction three times. He suffered this injury, the first to his right knee, in Week 11 last year.

“Mentally, I don’t know how to put it,” he said. “If something bad happened to you, right, and you remember every step of what happened getting you up to that point, the next time you do it, you are going to think about it again. Even if you feel like the results are going to be better.”

Good for Penix for being vulnerable enough to admit that. Shame on you if you think that’s a knock on his ability to start for an NFL team.

“I feel like I can do just about anything except take a hit, and that’s what we’re trying to stay away from,” he said.

Penix knows better than anyone else how critical this season is for him. He is halfway through the rookie contract he signed after being the surprise eighth pick of the 2024 draft. Now is when teams generally start deciding whether to pick up the fifth-year option, but the Falcons don’t have enough information to make that decision.

Penix has started 12 NFL games (and won only four of them), and he’s never played under this coaching staff or personnel department. President of football Matt Ryan, general manager Ian Cunningham and Stefanski have to know by the end of this season whether Penix is the Falcons’ quarterback of the future.

That means Penix needs to play this year. Even if Tagovailoa gets the Week 1 start, there’s nothing in his recent play to suggest he’ll play well enough to close the competition. There was certainly nothing in the Falcons’ team performance Friday night to suggest they are going to get off to the type of fast start that would make a quarterback change ill advised.

These Falcons have not been to the playoffs in eight years, and the fanbase is desperate to return. That, though, falls under the category of “wants.” What this team “needs” is to sort out its quarterback situation for the 2026 season. To figure that out, Penix has to start at some point.

It can’t be any worse than what we watched Friday night.

Sports

How to watch Royals vs. Angels: TV channel and streaming options for August 16

Published

48 seconds ago

August 16, 2026

qasimgillani

The Los Angeles Angels and Kansas City Royals play a rubber match on Sunday at 4:07 p.m. ET, with the series deadlocked at 1-1. Ryan Johnson (2-6, 6.71 ERA) will start for the Angels, who are 49-75 this season and fourth in the AL West. Noah Cameron (6-8, 4.45 ERA) is starting for the Royals, who are 50-74 and fifth in the AL Central.

How to watch Kansas City Royals vs. Los Angeles Angels

Royals vs. Angels odds

Favorite Moneyline: Angels -167
Underdog Moneyline: Royals +135
Total: 7.5
Total Over Odds: -115
Total Under Odds: -105

Injury reports

Angels

Shaun Anderson: 15 Day IL (Shoulder), Sam Bachman: 15 Day IL (Forearm), Jack Kochanowicz: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Yoan Moncada: 60 Day IL (Knee), Robert Stephenson: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Anthony Rendón: 60 Day IL (Hip), Sebastian Rivero: 60 Day IL (Hand), Yusei Kikuchi: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Oswald Peraza: day-to-day (Hand)

Royals

Vinnie Pasquantino: 10 Day IL (Wrist), Maikel Garcia: 10 Day IL (Hand), Tony Gonsolin: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Beck Way: 15 Day IL (Back), Jonathan India: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Cole Ragans: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Luinder Avila: 60 Day IL (Forearm), Alec Marsh: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Carlos Estévez: 60 Day IL (Foot), Nick Mears: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Stephen Kolek: 60 Day IL (Flexor), Connor Seabold: 60 Day IL (Lat), James McArthur: 60 Day IL (Elbow)

Stats to know

Los Angeles’ Mike Trout is slashing .244/.385/.446 this season with 20 home runs, 45 RBIs and an OPS of .831. He has a 25.5% strikeout rate and a 17.4% walk rate in 470 plate appearances, and he has scored 69 total runs. Trout has recorded 10 steals on 10 attempts.
In 434 plate appearances, Nolan Schanuel has hit seven long balls, tallied 47 RBIs and scored 41 runs. He is batting .279/.356/.392 and has posted a 13.1% strikeout rate and a 9.7% walk rate.
Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. is slashing .283/.356/.444 this season with 13 home runs, 42 RBIs and an OPS of .800. He has a 17.6% strikeout rate and a 10.2% walk rate in 461 plate appearances, and he has scored 62 total runs. Witt has recorded 32 steals on 38 attempts.
In 446 plate appearances, Jac Caglianone has slashed .274/.325/.494 this season. He has hit 22 long balls and driven in 58 runs with a strikeout rate of 26% and a walk rate of 6.3%. He has stolen six bases on eight attempts and has scored 56 runs.

This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.

Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

Photo: Jamie Squire, Ishika Samant, Scott Taetsch, Alika Jenner / Getty Images

Sports

Leeds United transfer news: Nico Elvedi to have medical as £8.5m fee agreed

Published

6 minutes ago

August 16, 2026

qasimgillani

Leeds United have agreed an £8.5m deal to sign Swiss defender Nico Elvedi.

The 29-year-old is travelling to England for a medical on Monday after Borussia Monchengladbach accepted an offer worth an initial £6.8m, with a further £1.7m in add-ons.

The versatile Switzerland international is set to end his 11-year stay with the German top-flight club by moving to Elland Road.

Elvedi is a highly experienced addition, having earned 73 caps for his country and featured as part of Switzerland’s squad at this summer’s World Cup.

Asked about the deal after a 4-0 pre-season win over Augsburg, Leeds manager Daniel Farke said: “I’ve been working in football long enough to know everything is only final once the medical checks are completed and all the paperwork is signed. We’ve seen situations like this before.

“So I only speak about new players once they have been officially announced and everything is settled. But I don’t want to lie, and we expect something to happen in the next 48 hours.”

The move would allow fringe Leeds defender Sebastiaan Bornauw to join Hamburg on an initial loan with an option to buy.

Leeds begin their Premier League campaign away at Nottingham Forest next Saturday.

Sports

Medal ceremonies delayed at European Athletics Championships in Birmingham due to arrest

Published

13 minutes ago

August 16, 2026

qasimgillani

Medal ceremonies at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham were postponed after a man was arrested on suspicion of fraud.

West Midlands Police said concerns were raised after a man was found in an area of Alexander Stadium on Saturday evening without the right accreditation.

Transport at the tournament was suspended as a result of the arrest and necessary security procedures.

Members of the crowd reported being held outside by security staff for more than an hour after the event finished, with a large police presence at the scene.

The evening session concluded with Great Britain winning a pair of gold medals in the men’s and women’s 4x100m relays.

Tournament organisers said transport was suspended while the necessary security measures took place, but operations had returned to normal in the early hours of Sunday.

A statement from Birmingham 2026 said: “The safety and wellbeing of our spectators, athletes, workforce and the wider Championships’ family will always be our first priority.

“We recognise that the delays presented challenges for those affected and would like to thank everyone for their patience, understanding and cooperation throughout the evening.”

More information relating to the postponed medal ceremonies is due to be released later.

A West Midlands Police spokesperson said a man in his 30s remained in custody for questioning.

The crowd at the Alexander Stadium appeared to be near its 23,000 capacity.

At one point during the session, there was an announcement that the six medal ceremonies, scheduled to take place after the final event between 22:00 and 23:00 BST were cancelled, understood to be in relation to the police incident.

People posted on social media, reporting “crazy queues” for the shuttle bus and blue flashing lights on the main road outside the stadium.

A statement on the event’s official account, posted on X at 23:03, said: “We apologise for the significant delays in leaving the Alexander Stadium venue this evening.

“Buses and coaches will start to arrive and departures will begin to gradually take place.

“We thank you for your patience with this matter. Please listen to the instructions from the safety personnel and marshals who are there to support you.”