Dolphins vs. Falcons
Kickoff: 1 p.m. Sunday, Mercedes-Benz Stadium
TV: CBS
Records: Dolphins 1-6, Falcons 3-3
Line: Falcons -7
Outlook: Injuries have been the story of the week, and it continues today, with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (knee) and receiver Drake London (hip) declared inactive for the game. That means veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins will get the start against the struggling Dolphins.
And it wasn't even that close.
Blame it on injuries to Penix and London. Blame it on a lot of things, but this loss was as bad as the one in Week 3 to the Panthers.
See more in the Take 5 takeaways
The Falcons tacked on a touchdown at the 5:01 mark to make it a 34-10 deficit, with Tyler Allgeier scoring on a 6-yard run. It was too little, too late for the offense, which struggled to get a good drive going until the fourth quarter.
The Falcons can't stop the Dolphins' offense, which has scored on five of their last six possessions. The lead has ballooned to 34-3, and the defense is gassed.
The Falcons had another poor offensive possession, and ended up with 4th-and-5 at their 41-yard line.
Cousins' pass attempt to KhaDarel Hodge was over the receiver's head and it was another turnover on downs in just a miserable offensive day for the Falcons.
The Falcons had one of the better offenses in the league this season.
Not so much, anymore.
They've struggled with Michael Penix Jr. out and with Kirk Cousins at the controls.
The Dolphins have found the answers with Tua Tagovailoa and they're running over the Falcons' defense, 24-3, at the 4:18 mark of the third quarter.
The Falcons had their best drive of the game, with a pass interference call on a pass attempt to Darnell Mooney for a 39-yard gain off the penalty, then a 17-yard pass play to Bijan Robinson, getting to the Dolphins' 19-yard line.
But, on the next play, Robinson fumbled and the Dolphins recovered at their 16, ending the threat.
It was the first deep throw that Cousins has made today, and the Falcons got the benefit with the penalty call, but they couldn't capitalize.
They seemed intent on trying to get Robinson more involved in that series, but the fumble ended that idea.
The second half started the same way the first did, with a three-and-out for the Falcons' offense. Bijan Robinson had a good run for six yards to start, but no gain on second down and an incompletion on third down ended the possession.
The Falcons' offense looks confused and out of sorts, struggling to get first downs, while the Dolphins looks like a winning team.
Miami got a touchdown with 11 seconds left in the half to push their lead to 17-3.
At 1-6, the Dolphins have struggled all season, but Tua Tagovailoa looks like a more experienced and relaxed quarterback, while Falcons veteran Kirk Cousins seems to be in a rut. He hasn't put together a good drive yet and the defense doesn't look like it can hold Miami.
This will be an interesting second half, to see how the Falcons can bounce back.
The Falcons started at their own 5-yard line and ran Tyler Allgeier for a 4-yard loss, which put them in a tough spot. Calling a run isn't a terrible decision there, but Allgeier doesn't have the same speed as Bijan Robinson, so it's a risky move to run him there.
That ended up being a three-and-out, and the Dolphins got prime field position, starting at the Falcons' 40. They needed four plays before adding a 34-yard field goal by Riley Patterson for a 10-3 lead at the 6:14 mark.
The Falcons' offense still looks uneven and the only real receiving threat has been Kyle Pitts, with Drake London out. Darnell Mooney has been invisible so far, and the Dolphins have rendered Robinson ineffective so far.
The Falcons responded with a nice drive after the Dolphins' touchdown. Cousins opened with a couple of completions to Kyle Pitts (24 and 6 yards), but the drive stalled inside the 30 and they settled for a 45-yard field goal by Parker Romo to pull within 7-3.
The defense will need to make a stop and get a better feel for the Dolphins' run game.
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