The Atlanta Falcons were without their starting quarterback and No. 1 wide receiver, but that still doesn't diminish what the Miami Dolphins were capable of in their second win of the season.
The Dolphins dominated in their 34-10 victory at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. As a result, the winners' section on Miami's side is unexpectedly heavy this week.
Miami Dolphins' winners in Week 8 win at Falcons
Dolphins' run game/run defense
Going into the game, the thought of Falcons running back Bijan Robinson eclipsing 200+ yards was not an exaggeration. Robinson had averaged over 152 yards from scrimmage entering the contest, with Miami's run defense ranked dead last in the NFL.
Nevertheless, the Dolphins held Robinson to just 48 total yards. They even forced a crucial fumble on the Falcons' star RB when Atlanta was driving.
Overall, Miami's defense was outstanding. Yes, Atlanta was without its starting quarterback and WR1, but Kirk Cousins is the most expensive backup in the league by a considerable margin, and yet, the Dolphins shut him and the Falcons' offense down completely.
Meanwhile, Miami's run game on offense was sensational. Although the Dolphins' 3.8 yards-per-carry average won't stand out on the stats page, they were efficient in moving the sticks. And essentially, that opened things up for QB Tua Tagovailoa, who had a monster game with four touchdown passes.
Tua Tagovailoa
Speaking of, it's only right that we include Tua in this week's winners. He's said all the unnecessary things in the media these past few weeks, but on Sunday, Tagovailoa could do no wrong. Fresh off his worst game as a professional, Tua had one of his best in Atlanta. (Maybe he should stick with the visor.)
In addition to his four TD passes on the day, Tagovailoa finished with a QB rating of 138.6 and had just six of his 26 pass attempts go for incompletions. And he did it by spreading the ball around. More importantly, Tua and the offense played a clean game with zero turnovers.
Malik Washington/Ollie Gordon II
As mentioned, with Tua's big game, several of Miami's offensive players were able to eat. As a result, both WR Malik Washington and RB Ollie Gordon II were able to get into the end zone for the first time as NFL players.
Gordon was involved early, resulting in a career-high 10 carries. Miami has relied heavily on De'Von Achane out of the backfield, so it was good to see Gordon mixed in and give Miami an edge between the trenches.
Washington finished with a season-high 36 receiving yards, which isn't overly impressive. However, his TD catch from Tua just before halftime was a thing of beauty and really put a cap on how the game would turn out.
Miami has looked for a spark since Tyreek Hill's injury, and while no one is expecting Washington to replace someone of Hill's caliber, it's clear that Tagovailoa is trusting the young receiver more and more.
Dolphins' losers vs. Atlanta
Miami's 2026 NFL Draft position
Last week, the Dolphins had no winners in their embarrassing loss to the Cleveland Browns. The only good thing that appeared to come out of it was that the rebuild was on. However, that turned out not to be the case, as no personnel were let go this week. In response, the Dolphins' organization came back with a vengeance against the Falcons.
With a 24-point victory, the Dolphins played a near-perfect game, and thus, it's tough to put anyone in the losers' section. But comparable to last week, Miami's rebuild will be put on hold.
It was a nice win against the Falcons. Had the Dolphins' season to this point gone in a different direction, it could have been labeled a statement victory. However, Miami still sits at 2-6 on the season, with a postseason berth considerably out of reach. Instead, the win will hurt the Dolphins' draft position for 2026 down the stretch.
It did help that the New York Jets got their first victory of the season, upsetting the Cincinnati Bengals on the road. However, there are several other teams who sat at 1-6 or 2-5 heading into the week and, thus, gained draft position in the process.
Expecting teams to tank (at least players) is not realistic. But a postseason appearance for the Dolphins in 2025 is not going to happen, so winning does little to help them. With that said, it is nice to be on the other side of one of these games.
There hasn't been much to smile about when it comes to the Miami Dolphins in 2025, so getting a dominant win on the road against a formidable opponent does feel good, at least in the short term.