The Atlanta Falcons will play the Miami Dolphins in Week 1 of the NFL Preseason on Friday night at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The Dolphins were able to make the playoffs last season, but will they be able to carry that success into this season? Let’s take a look at the matchup and find a winner for this preseason game.
Falcons Preview
The Atlanta Falcons finished last season with a record of 7-10 and they were fourth in the NFC South. Atlanta started the season playing pretty well, as they started with a 4-4 record, but they finished the season only going 3-6. The Falcons played in a ton of close games last season, going 5-8 in games decided by eight points or fewer. The Falcons are starting Desmond Ridder at quarterback this season and while he didn’t get a ton of playing time last year, he is not expected to play in this game. Atlanta will go with Taylor Heinicke and Logan Woodside at the quarterback position for this game. The Falcons did draft Bijan Robinson, running back out of Texas, in this past draft, so it will be interesting to see what he can do in his NFL debut.
Dolphins Preview
The Miami Dolphins went 9-8 last season, which was good enough for second place in the AFC East. The Dolphins did make the playoffs, but they lost 34-31 in Buffalo. Miami really struggled with injuries last season, which resulted in going 1-5 in their last six regular season games. Miami will look to continue their offensive success from 2022, but they need to improve on their 24th ranked defense. We will not see Tua under center for Miami in this game, so the quarterback duties will be left to Mike White, Skylar Thompson, and James Blackman.
Pick
The Falcons come into this game as a slight favorite and I am excited to see what they can do this season. I do think Ridder and Robinson will have a big impact, but we need to focus on the backups in this game. Miami’s defense was disappointing last season, so they will be playing with something to prove here. This game could go either way, so I am going to take the points with the Dolphins at home. Like most preseason games, this should be decided in the fourth quarter with the third and fourth stringers.
AUTHOR: David Racey
