Jaylen Waddle catches one of four touchdown passes thrown by Tua Tagovailoa in the Dolphins' rout of the Falcons.

Pressure Point: Dolphins must show success no fluke when they face Ravens

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There are a couple of divergent ways to look at the Miami Dolphins’ surprisingly dominant 34-10 rout at Atlanta on Sunday.

The immediate reaction is, where has this team been the first two months of the season when they were masquerading as one of the most inept NFL teams in recent memory?

Conversely, as a sizable portion of the Dolphins’ fanbase sees it, why did they have to blow up valuable groundwork laid in pursuit of the No. 1 draft choice?

One unexpectedly positive performance doesn’t mean all is forgiven in the NFL. Who knows, the other team may have just gotten some bad fish at their Saturday night training table.

Anomalies pop up every week. The Falcons had an impressive Monday night win over the Bills in Week 6, two games after getting trounced 30-0 by the blah Panthers.

Dolphins finally have a win to build on

On Sunday, the Dolphins did a 180 on their embarrassing rollover a week ago at Cleveland, while the now 2-6 Browns reverted to who they really are in a 32-13 dud at New England.

For those still pulling for the Dolphins to salvage this woebegone season, take heart in everything they did well against the Falcons. There were a lot of positives to build on.

Most notable, Miami won the line of scrimmage on offense and defense after getting pushed around in most games so far.

It certainly helped that Tua Tagovailoa didn’t throw any head-slapping interceptions — hallelujah, he threw no picks at all — while tossing four touchdowns.

We’ll find out soon enough if this was a blip or a turning point for the 2-6 Fins.

First indication will come Thursday in prime time at home against Baltimore. The Ravens, an uncharacteristic 2-5, are seven-point favorites on the road because quarterback Lamar Jackson is expected to return from a hamstring injury.

That will be followed by another home game against the Bills before a trip to Spain to face the Commodores. A difficult final month includes cold-weather visits to Pittsburgh and New England as well as a tough home finale against Tampa Bay.

Dolphins’ controlling line of scrimmage was vital to win over Falcons

The Dolphins are in a strange space where many fans want them to fail miserably this season to bring about a total housecleaning of the front office and coaching staff, as well as at quarterback.

If coach Mike McDaniel and staff are to keep the vultures at bay, Sunday’s blueprint was one to follow.

Most unexpected was Miami’s porous run defense shutting down Bijan Robinson, one of the best running backs who came in leading the league in yards from scrimmage.

What stood out was the sort of determination to make tackles that has been missing all season. Instead of getting pushed aside like scarecrows, the inspired Dolphins defense allowed a mere 1.53 yards after contact.

The Falcons had 11 total first downs, which tied for their fewest in a game since 2008.

It’s a wonder that it took eight games into a win-or-else season for some Dolphins defenders to play like they cared.

Similarly, the Miami offense had everything headed in the right direction. They had success running the ball, and stayed with it for a change, finishing with 10 more runs ( 37 times for 141 yards) than passes, effectively mixing carries among De’Von Achane, Ollie Gordon II and Jaylen Wright.

Dolphins’ changes on offense paid off

Utilizing Daniel Brunskill as a sixth offensive lineman in place of the tight end on some running plays helped facilitate that success.

McDaniel also elected to have offensive coordinator Frank Smith on the sideline instead of in the booth. Players said that facilitated better in-game communication.

In addition, rookie guard Jonah Savaiinaea finally looked like the promising offensive lineman they traded up to draft after weeks of impersonating a turnstile.

Can we expect more growth against the Ravens and through the second half of the season?

The only conclusion that can be made right now is the rout of the Falcons is another example of why wagering on NFL teams is a fool’s game.

Dolphins turn desperation into positive results


There are only a handful of legitimately good teams in a field of posers. Most teams are flawed, and injuries can upset the balance in any given matchup.

The Dolphins were aided by the Falcons having to switch quarterbacks. Kirk Cousins, filling in for injured starter Michael Penix Jr., has had a decent career, but he came in rusty and played like dog meat. He also didn’t have star receiver Drake London, who was out with a hip injury.

But give the Dolphins full credit for addressing their own shortcomings following their most putrid effort of the season at Cleveland.

“The coaching staff and players did a great job being focused,” McDaniel said. “The results, it’s nice to finally get them in it feels like forever.”

He added, “We have to replicate them in the coming weeks.”

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for more than four decades. Follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @CraigDavisRuns.

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