5 THINGS WE LEARNED

Kyle Pitts too much for Dolphins: We can officially end the who is more impactful debate between Kyle Pitts, who the Dolphins could have had if they didn’t trade down in the first round of the 2021 draft, and Jaylen Waddle, who Miami selected sixth overall in that draft after trading up with the Eagles, who now own the Dolphins’ 2022 first-round pick. The fact Pitts caught seven passes for 163 yards shows he’s a dominant player. The 28-yarder he caught with Xavien Howard draped all over him in the game’s final two minutes with the Falcons trailing, 28-27, was eye-opening, and proof he’s an elite talent.

Dolphins surpass century mark rushing: Miami has been one of the NFL’s worst running teams all three years of Flores’ tenure, and Miami entered Sunday’s game as the team that featured the worst rushing attack in the league. However, it seems as if a commitment was made to making the offense more balanced and Miami stuck to it Sunday, gaining 129 rushing yards on 28 carries. It was the second time all season the Dolphins have rushed for 100 or more yards.

Eric Rowe struggles again: Last year Rowe, who was the Dolphins’ starting free safety, was one of the team’s top defenders. Each week he’d typically lock down the opposing tight end, limiting the impact that position had on the game. This season Rowe has been a liability on the field, which explains why he’s had to share his safety snaps with Brandon Jones and Jason McCourty. It’s hard to say what has happened to Rowe, but the Dolphins no longer trust him to cover the Pittses of the NFL, and when he’s on the field he’s being attacked and exploited by opposing offenses.

Basic play-making cost Dolphins at least nine points in first half:

In the first half, the Dolphins led, 7-0, when the Falcons were facing a third-and-3 from the Dolphins 42. On a Thomas Davis run play, defensive tackle Adam Butler blasted through the line and had Davis seemingly wrapped up for a 2-yard loss, but Davis spun away and got the first down. Instead of a likely Falcons fourth down play from the 44, Atlanta rolled downfield for their first score to make it, 7-3. Then Jason Sanders had a field goal blocked that would have made it, 10-3. Finally, on the next Dolphins possession, Tua Tagovailoa threw his first interception, from the Falcons 14 into the end zone among triple-coverage. Nine

huge points.

Jevon Holland had a very rookie-like game: The second-round pick from Oregon, had some downs, such as letting Russell Gage fly past him for the Falcons’ second touchdown and earlier calling for a fair catch on a punt when the closest Falcon was more than 10 yards away from him. But, there was also a sack, a nifty punt return and a crunching hit in Falcons field goal range to separate the ball from Calvin Ridley en route to a Miami defensive stop while trailing, 20-14. Growing pains, but a glimmer.