Miami Gardens, FL– Week 2 of preseason and thankfully there are a couple more weeks left before the regular season. Adrenaline was high on both sides, but the execution was certainly not up to par. At the end of the day, the Dolphins protected their home field and gave the Atlanta Falcons their second loss of the preseason. Granted both teams did not look ready for the new year, there were a lot of pros and cons that resulted from this match.
As expected, the unofficial first-team line up found themselves on the side in casual attire as spectators for tonight’s game. For the Dolphins we did not see the likes of Devante Parker or Kenny Stills. The remainder of the starters played limited minutes and found themselves sidelined by the end of the first quarter. Coach Quinn, held out the majority, if not all his first team. Although this created less of show, this allowed another opportunity for the younger players to prove their value and hone their craft.
Despite the win, the Dolphins still plan to focus on communication, discipline and execution of their less experienced players. The Dolphins admittedly have not found their groove yet. There is a lot of inconsistency from the quarterback, wideouts, backfield and front line. The most concerning of the Dolphin line-up is the offensive lineman, and Flores could not agree more.
“It’s certainly that [a work in progress], but at the same time, we still got to do a good job with our fundamentals, our technique, our communication and protect inside out. If we do those things, we’ll be okay.”
For the Dolphins, Preston Williams was the standout on the field tonight. There’s not much spotlight on the rookie yet, but spectators will certainly be paying more attention after tonight. The Georgia native is an undrafted free agent from Colorado State. With natural athletic ability and impeccable body control, the rookie has landed himself 3rd string behind Devante parker and Jakeem Grant. Williams is taking advantage of preseason and led both sides of the receiving table with 97 yards. Williams most highlighted moment came from his one-handed catch in the redzone for a 36-yard gain.
Throughout the night It was a quarterback frenzy with multiple rotations and schemes. The Dolphins started the evening with Fitzpatrick, followed by Rosen who played the 2nd and 3rd quarter, then finally ending with Jake Ruddock in the 4th. Rosen went 13/20 on the night and 191 yards.
The Falcons had an interesting night in the quarterback position. With Matt Ryan sidelined, it was Matt Schaub’s party and he felt good about the match despite the loss.
“I thought it went pretty good. We got into a rhythm. Had some consistency. We still hurt ourselves on some series with penalties and negative plays. All in all guys played really hard and executed and did the jobs, but we still have a lot we want to clean up and execute together in the red zone going into next week.”
On the night, Schaub went 12 for 19, with 0 touchdowns or turnovers, and 172 yards. It’s safe to say that Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu were missed, but Schaub owned the leadership role and solidified his position as the backup quarterback. Schaub’s main target downfield tonight was Russell Gage. Gage led the team with three receptions for 33 yards.
Matt Simms also rotated in tonight during the 3rd quarter. Although he only went 8 for 17 and recorded 86 yards, he was the saving grace that tied the game back up at 27 in the 4th quarter with a successful 2-point conversion to C.J. Worton.
The final game closer came during the 2-minute warning when running back Myles Gaskin sealed the deal to beat the Falcons 34-27.
Despite the loss, the Falcons had a competitive night in which players such as Austin Larkin, Jermaine Grace, Brian Hill, Giorgio Tavecchio, and Qadree Ollison stepped up to keep the Falcons in the game.
Week 2 served as an important evaluation game for both team and will bring new opportunities into week 3. The Atlanta Falcons will host the New York Jets next Thursday, while the Miami Dolphins take a short trip to Tampa to see the Buccaneers.
Written by Merrissa Vault
