MIAMI GARDENS — This is the biggest week of the coach Mike McDaniel era from the standpoint of if the Dolphins (1-6), who are riding a three-game losing streak, find a way to lose Sunday at Atlanta, it better be a close loss. Style points count. A blowout loss, and you’d think McDaniel will almost certainly be fired in a matter of days.

In the best case scenario, McDaniel wins the game and his almost certain dismissal gets delayed for another week.

Yes, these are grim times for Dolphins fans and the entire organization — its players, its coaches, scouts, front office people, everybody.

But, set that aside. The goal this week, as teams like to say, is to go 1-0.

To that end, here are five things to watch for in Sunday’s game at the Falcons (3-3): 

Have players stopped listening to McDaniel?

It doesn’t appear that players have quit on McDaniel, and there’s a good chance they won’t. But keep an eye out for the signs they’ve stopped listening to him. It’s coming dangerously near that time as this team seems in disarray.

At a certain point, players tune out the coach because what he’s been saying hasn’t produced positive results.

Last Sunday’s loss at Cleveland featured 11 penalties for 103 yards as well as miscues on offense, defense and special teams. Four days before the game there was defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver’s playful jab at quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (Weaver said he’s called coaches-only meetings that some coaches have skipped, a reference to Tagovailoa’s ill-fated postgame comment after the Los Angeles Chargers loss). And 90 minutes before the Cleveland game there was the shocking revelation that rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers had been promoted over No. 2 Zach Wilson. 

Fast forward to Monday. McDaniel said one key to defeating Atlanta would be not throwing 10 interceptions, which seemed to be a reference to Tagovailoa’s season interception total.

Players might be sick of the drama. They might tune out the coach.

Stopping Bijan Robinson

Falcons running back Bijan Robinson is sixth in the league in rushing with 524 yards on 97 carries. The Dolphins are last in the league in run defense at 159.3 yards allowed per game. Opponents have attempted 214 runs against the Dolphins, which are fourth-most in the league, just five attempts behind the New York Jets (219), who have the most rushing attempts against their defense.

Last week Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks led the league with 66 tackles, but 44 percent (29) came after gains of eight or more yards. Largely due to poor run defense, Dolphins opponents have the second-longest time of possession in the league at 32 minutes, 57 seconds, just four seconds more than Tennessee (33:01), which leads the league in that inglorious category.

Defending Drake London

Watch the penalties here. Falcons wide receiver Drake London has 38 receptions (tied for 11th in the league), 469 yards (tied for 10th) and two touchdowns. But Dolphins cornerback Jack Jones (five penalties, tied for fourth-most in the league) has displayed a knack for penalties so far.

Fellow cornerback Rasul Douglas has been OK, but not necessarily good. London could have a big game Sunday. A pass rush would help reduce his effectiveness. The Dolphins are tied for 20th with 14 sacks.

Backup QB

This situation is a failure accompanied by a questionable explanation. There’s a competition for No. 2 quarterback between Wilson, the “direct, calculated target” of general manager Chris Grier and McDaniel in the offseason, and Ewers, the rookie seventh-round pick. Ewers won the No. 2 job last week because McDaniel said he gave the Dolphins a better chance of winning against Cleveland.

Really?!

The Dolphins paid Wilson $6 million to serve as the backup, which he did for the first six games. They could have spent that money more wisely on a cornerback or another two reserve offensive linemen. By the way, Wilson and Ewers are clear of blame here. This failure is on Grier and McDaniel.  

De’Von Achane, Patrick Paul

Achane, the third-year running back, and Paul, the second-year left tackle, have been shining lights during an otherwise dark season. Achane (472 yards rushing, three touchdowns; 211 receiving yards, three touchdowns) has been a dual threat. Granted, he doesn’t alter a defense or cause fear the same way that wide receiver Tyreek Hill (season-ending knee injury) did for three years, but he’s been effective.

Paul, a first-year starter, continues to show he’s a top-notch pass blocker, most recently displaying those skills last Sunday against Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett, a future Hall of Famer who didn’t record a sack against Paul.

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