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The Atlanta Falcons have enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they must head out on the road. They will take on the Miami Dolphins at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium after a week off. The defensive coordinators will surely put in extra hours ahead of this game since these teams' offenses combined for 881 yards two weeks ago.
The Falcons ran circles around the New York Jets two weeks ago, and the extra yardage (450 yards vs. 230 yards) paid off. Atlanta was able to grind out a solid victory over New York, winning 27-20. The team accrued 20 points in the first half and coasted on those for the win. Atlanta's success was spearheaded by the efforts of QB Matt Ryan, who passed for two TDs and 342 yards on 45 attempts, and TE Kyle Pitts, who caught nine passes for one TD and 119 yards. That receiving effort made it the first game that Pitts has posted more than 100 yards receiving.
Meanwhile, it was a hard-fought contest, but Miami had to settle for a 23-20 defeat against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. Miami's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of WR Jaylen Waddle, who snatched two receiving TDs, and QB Tua Tagovailoa, who passed for two TDs and 329 yards on 47 attempts. Tagovailoa ended up with a passer rating of 138.80.
This next matchup is expected to be close, with the Falcons going off at just a 2.5-point favorite. Those who got lucky with them against the spread two weeks ago might want to hold off on placing bets this time since the squad has yet to string together back-to-back wins against the spread.
Atlanta is now 2-3 while the Dolphins sit at 1-5. A couple offensive stats to keep an eye on: Atlanta is second worst in the NFL in rushing touchdowns, with only two on the season. Miami has experienced some struggles of their own as they are stumbling into the contest with the fewest rushing yards per game in the league, having accrued only 71.5 on average. Looks like big plays on the ground might be a bit hard to come by this week.
