Three key matchups for the Miami Dolphins against Atlanta

1. Eric Rowe and the defense vs Kyle Pitts.

Now, there is a possibility that we won’t even get to see this matchup on Saturday, but it would be great if we did. Pitts was held out of Atlanta’s first preseason game last week against Tennessee. When explaining why, head coach Arthur Smith gave a nod towards the importance of their following game in Miami.

"“Like I said earlier in the week, we feel like he’s right on schedule. Wanted him to go through the routine of getting to the stadium, going through the warmups. Like I said, this week is going to be big for him, going down to Miami. It’s a very aggressive and very talented secondary. But like I said, Kyle is right on schedule. If we felt he was behind, we probably would have put him out there.” -Head Coach Arthur Smith via Kelsey Kramer @Heavy"

It sure sounds like Smith is prioritizing this week against Miami, and that’s probably because he knows the challenge that Pitts will face. No one was targeted more in coverage against tight ends than Eric Rowe in 2020 and very few players had as much success. He isn’t a perfect safety, but he excels at his given role-the tight end eraser. It is also worth noting that Rowe faced the consensus top-three tight ends in the NFL in 2020 (George Kittle, Travis Kelce, and Darren Waller). Only two players got the better of him all season-Kelce and Waller.

"Eric Rowe vs TE’s in 2020 Kelce + Waller Rest of the NFL Targets 13 35 Comp 10 15 Comp % 76.9% 42.8% TD 0 0 INT 0 1 Yards 218 121 Yds/Rec 21.8 8 QBR Against 118.2 40.2 Advanced stats courtesy of SIS Data Hub Pro"

The question that we should all be asking is where will Kyle Pitts fit into all of this? His ability as a receiver is arguably already on par with those players, but we haven’t seen him take a snap in the NFL. The answer to that question will have ramifications for the regular season as well when Miami faces Atlanta week seven.