Miami Dolphins (0-0) vs Atlanta Falcons (0-0)
Game Info: Friday, August 9, 2024 at 7:00 pm (Hard Rock Stadium)
The Line: Betting Odds: Miami Dolphins +2.5 / Atlanta Falcons -2.5 — Over/Under: 37.5
In this article we will formulate an Atlanta Falcons vs Miami Dolphins prediction for this NFL Preseason game on Friday, August 9th at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this preseason battle.
Atlanta Falcons Betting Preview
The Atlanta Falcons were 7-10 last season and they finished third in the NFC South Division. Atlanta started the season with a 4-3 record, but they fell apart and finished the season going 3-7 down the stretch. The Falcons had some issues at quarterback last year with Ridder and Heinicke, but they brought in Kirk Cousins, who they are hoping can offer some stability. The Falcons scored 18.9 points per game (26th) last season, while they allowed 21.9 points against per game (18th).
Atlanta went 1-1-1 during the 2023 preseason, which started with a 19-3 win over Miami in their first game. The Falcons tied the Bengals at 13 in their second game and they finished with a 24-0 loss against Pittsburgh in their third game. Kirk Cousins will almost definitely not play in this game, so we should see plenty of Michael Penix Jr., Taylor Heinicke, and Nathan Rourke.
Miami Dolphins Betting Preview
The Miami Dolphins were 11-6 in 2023, which was good for second in the AFC East. Miami started the season by going 11-4 in their first 15 games, but they lost their last three games, which included a 26-7 loss against Kansas City in the first round of the playoffs. Miami’s offense looked very dangerous for most of the season, but they only scored 22, 19, 14, and 7 points in their last four games. Miami’s offense scored 29.2 points per game (2nd) in 2023, but their defense allowed 23.0 points against per game (22nd).
The Dolphins went 1-2 in the preseason last year, which began with a 19-3 loss against this Falcons team. Miami followed that game up with a 28-3 win over Houston, before losing to Jacksonville by a score of 31-18 in the finale. I wouldn’t expect to see Tua play in this game for Miami, so we should see Mike White and Skylar Thompson under center.
Atlanta Falcons Player Prop Facts
- Taylor Heinicke has recorded 229+ passing yards in each of his last four appearances in Sunday games played on the East Coast.
- Tyler Allgeier has recorded 39+ rushing yards in each of the Falcons’ last 16 Sunday games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
- Kyle Pitts has scored a touchdown in each of the Falcons’ last three games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium as slight favorites (<-3.5 points).
- Bijan Robinson has recorded 86+ rushing and receiving yards in four of the Falcons’ last five games.
- Kyle Pitts has recorded 30+ receiving yards in each of the Falcons’ last nine Sunday games as favorites.
- Kirk Cousins has thrown two or more touchdowns in each of his last seven home appearances.
- Kirk Cousins has recorded 29+ completions in each of his last six regular season home appearances.
- Kirk Cousins ranked 3rd amongst qualified players for passer rating (103.8) last season.
Miami Dolphins Player Prop Facts
- Raheem Mostert has scored two touchdowns in each of his last three regular season appearances against AFC opponents.
- Raheem Mostert has scored at least one touchdown in 10 of the Dolphins’ last 11 games played as favorites on the East Coast.
- Jeff Wilson Jr. has recorded 37+ rushing and receiving yards in eight of his last 10 Sunday home appearances.
- Odell Beckham Jr. has recorded 36+ receiving yards in each of his 11 previous September appearances with his team as a favorite.
- Tua Tagovailoa has recorded 240+ passing yards in 12 of his last 13 appearances with the Dolphins as home favorites.
- Jeff Wilson Jr. has recorded 21+ rushing yards in eight of his last nine Sunday appearances with his team as a home favorite.
- Tua Tagovailoa has recorded 23+ completions in four of the Dolphins’ last five games as home favorites.
- Tyreek Hill ranked 1st in the NFL in receiving yards (1799) last season.
Atlanta Falcons vs Miami Dolphins Prediction
Atlanta comes into this season with plenty of positive momentum after signing Kirk Cousins in the offseason, but they have plenty of things they need to work on in this preseason. Miami had a successful 2023 season, but they played poorly in the postseason and never really had a chance against the Chiefs. These two teams did meet in the preseason last year, with Atlanta taking the win. We shouldn’t see either starting quarterback in this game, but I am going to give the slight edge to the Dolphins here. Mike White and Skylar Thompson have had a decent amount of experience and I think that will be the difference over Penix Jr. and Rourke. Take the Dolphins and the points.