Miami Dolphins defense vs. Atlanta Falcons offense
By Jon Shearer
The Miami Dolphins defense has struggled mightily this season but the NFL has 17 games on the schedule and not six.
Miami will get another chance to get back to the defense that dominated at times in 2020 when they take on the Atlanta Falcons in Miami.
The Atlanta Falcons struggle to run the football and don’t exactly have a mobile quarterback; two things the Dolphin defense struggles with.
Matt Ryan for as immobile as he is can still sling the ball and Miami will need their high-priced corners to be at the top of their games to stop Calvin Ridley and Kyle Pitts.
Ridley has struggled this season without Julio Jones and is looking to break out at some point this season. Pitts is a big physical tight end that Byron Jones or Xavien Howard will have to lockdown in man-to-man coverage.
Patterson has been the Falcons most dynamic weapon thus far and the Dolphins will have to contain him on the ground and through the air.
The Dolphin defensive line has started to find its footing as of late, led by Christian Wilkins who has started to show the coaching staff he was worth the high draft pick in the 2019 NFL draft. Miami likes to play man-to-man and bring pressure, if the Dolphins can pressure Ryan consistently they can force him into giving up the football.
The Falcons rank 20th in YPG offensively, 12th in passing, 24th in rushing, and 22nd in scoring.
The Dolphin defense is 30th in YPG given up, 29th in passing, 22nd in rushing, and 30th in points.
Neither team has played particularly well this season, but if Miami was to make a statement after the recent struggles and outside noise this is the game to do it.
Prediction: Miami 23, Atlanta 20
This game could tell the future of the franchise; a loss could lead to trades and possibly front office members losing their jobs. A win could quiet down the rumors surrounding the team and allow the team to focus squarely on Buffalo.