I said repeatedly this week that this was a game the Falcons couldn’t afford to lose. That had very little to do with big picture standings and upcoming schedules, though obviously those mattered to, and much more to do with how bad the Dolphins had looked thus far in 2025. If they got right against the Falcons, even an Atlanta team missing Divine Deablo, Michael Penix Jr., and Drake London, it would be a stain on the Falcons’ honor and a worrying sign that they were simply not good enough to make any real noise this year.
Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened. Extra unfortunately, it was even worse than that, because the Falcons didn’t just lose this game, they got blown out and embarrassed at home. Their vaunted run game, their pass defense, their focus on special teams, all of it was dust on the wind against a Miami team that looked rejuvenated and ready for the challenge. Paired with the offensive line collapsing, the run defense playing poorly yet again, and the passing game looking even worse with Kirk Cousins than it did with Michael Penix Jr., this was a wholesale collapse. I did entertain the scary thought they would lose this one, but never did I imagine they’d lose this one so badly.
Remember, the Dolphins were 1-6 on the year, Tua Tagovailoa was coming off maybe the worst game of his career, and they were legitimately hapless throughout much of the year. They looked like a juggernaut against Atlanta, with Tua managing four touchdown passes, their ground game dominating, and the defense holding Atlanta in check until the Falcons got an afterthought touchdown down 34-3 in the fourth quarter. This was not a narrow loss to a bad team or a blowout loss to a good one; it was the worst of all worlds.
I genuinely do not know where the Falcons go from here. Getting embarrassed to this degree twice in one season, and losing multiple games where the offense has been so anemic that you can barely even mount an attempt at a comeback, is a terrible reflection on the coaching staff, front office, and players alike. Arthur Blank seems exceedingly unlikely to blow this thing up entirely just seven games into the season, but he’s also got to be furious with this team’s performance. I don’t necessarily think offensive coordinator Zac Robinson is safe, and I no longer think Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot survive the season if it’s going to be defined by games like this. This team may not be as talented as the most optimistic among us want to believe it is, but it is certainly more talented than this. As the Falcons slip further and further into sadness, especially with the expectations for this year, the prospect of this team doing a hard, sudden reset no longer seems remote. Anything that helps the Falcons avoid losing to the worst teams in the league in blowouts repeatedly is, in my opinion, well worth doing.
Here’s a drive-by-drive recap of the game you just watched. Don’t read it again unless you want to be angry.
The Dolphins elected to receive, and Dee Eskridge made it past the 30 on the return. Tua Tagovailoa threw it under pressure from David Onyemata to De’Von Achane, but he was out of bounds and JD Bertrand ensured he landed there. Achane then went up the middle for a yard before Kaden Elliss got him. A bull rush blitz on third down saw Dee Alford come in basically untouched, and Tua fell down. Punt, and Jamal Agnew got about ten yards.
The first down carry went to Bijan Robinson for a yard. Robinson then made it less than a yard on second down. With pressure coming, Kirk Cousins got it off to Kyle Pitts, who made it about five yards. Punt.
The Dolphins kicked things off with an 18 yard pass to Washington. Then Gordon got a yard, Jaylen Wright got eight, Gordon got four, and Tua tried a deep sideline shot to Jaylen Waddle, but Mike Hughes got called for pass interference. An illegal formation backed things up, but Achane got 11 yards, a yard, and then Gordon plunged for four yards and a first. Seven more yards and a drop followed by a 2 yard run meant fourth down inside the 20, and Gordon appeared to make enough forward progress to get the first down. Raheem Morris threw the challenge flag, but the ruling was upheld. Dee Alford made the tackle on a four yard Achane toss. Tua then threw Achane a touchdown pass. 7-0 Dolphins.
Agnew took the kick return back to the 30. Kirk Cousins then threw it down to Kyle Pitts for a gain of over 20 on a play action pass. Pitts caught another one and picked up six yards. Bijan then picked up a yard up the middle. Under pressure on a rollout on third down, Cousins scrambled backwards and threw it away. A short fourth down pass to Tyler Allgeier got the first down.
A quick throw to Bijan went for three yards. Bijan hesitated and then plunged up the middle for six yards. Allgeier was then tripped up for a loss on third down. Parker Romo hit the 45 yard field goal try to make it 7-3, Dolphins.
Gordon took the kickoff to the 27 yard line. Tua saw some pressure but got it off to Achane on the screen for a first down. Under pressure again, Tua got Alec Ingold for no gain. An Achane toss went for six yards. Under pressure, Tua threw it high and out of bounds. Punt, and Feleipe Franks was hit with an unnecssary roughness penalty.
Tyler Allgeier lost three yards on first down. Kirk Cousins picked up three yards on second down to make it 3rd and 10. Bijan then picked up four more yards. Punt, and it went off the side of Bradley Pinion’s foot to put Miami on Atlanta’s side of the field.
Tua hit Waddle for 22 yards. Achane lost yards on first down. A quick pass went for just two yards with A.J. Terrell forcing the receiver backwards. JD Bertrand went up for the tipped pass, but Jessie Bates had the same idea and neither came away with it. That meant Riley Patterson’s field goal try was on and good to make it 10-3 Dolphins.
Natrone Brooks muffed the kickoff, but recovered it and turned in a modest return. A false start then backed up the Falcons. Cousins then hit David Sills V for 12 yards. Then Cousins was dropped for a five yard loss. Cousins then threw it way over Darnell Mooney’s head on third down on what might have been a miscommunication on the route. The Pinion punt went inside the 20 and Mike Ford got a very nice tackle to set the Dolphins up at the 18.
Tua quickly hit Nick Westbrook-Ikhine for a first down and 18 yards. Wright then picked up a yard. A quick sideline pass to Waddle made it six yards. Gordon then bounced it outside for a first down. We then hit the two minute warning. Achane was then swallowed up for a loss of a few yards, but a facemask gave Miami 15 yards. An Achane screen then picked up nine yards. Gordon then picked up the first down again. Pressure came in on the next play, and then Elliss got the tackle on the pass after about a yard. Miami was hit with a false start on the next play. A quick pass to Washington was brought down quickly after about three yards by Dee Alford. Another dart to Waddle over the middle got 11 and made it first and goal. Tua then scrambled away from pressure and hit Washington for a touchdown. 17-3 Dolphins.
Agnew took the kickoff to the 35. The Falcons then kneeled it out.
Natrone Brooks returned the kick to the 29. Robinson then took the carry six yards. Robinson got less than a yard on second down. Cousins then threw one nowhere near Sills, throwing to a spot rather where Sills was not. Wright was stopped for a loss of a yard on a toss. The Dolphins then only got a yard on second down. A quick screen was sniffed out by Mike Hughes for a gain of three. Punt, and Agnew took the short one back near midfield. A holding call on Franks backed the Falcons up.
Kirk Cousins took an immediate deep shot to Darnell Mooney, but Rasul Douglas was called for pass interference and the Falcons were over midfield. A quick swing pass to Bijan then picked up 15 yards, but then Bijan fumbled it away on the next carry.
Tua missed on the first down throw. Achane then picked up a first down. Brandon Dorlus then dropped Achane for a loss. Gordon was stood up after five yards. Tua then missed on the third down throw, but Terrell got called for pass interference. A quick screen to Washington went for four yards. Achane then picked up a first down. A quick tight end pass went for five yards. Achane then plunged for another first down. Achane then got two yards. Then Tua rifled one to Waddle and he took it to the house. 24-3 Dolphins.
Agnew took the kick to around the 25. Another holding call backed the Falcons up again. A quick throw to Pitts got five yards, and then KhaDarel Hodge got 16 yards. Cousins then tried Mooney, but he was hit as he got his hands on it. A sideline shot to Hodge was knocked loose by a big hit. Another throw to Pitts went for six yards. On fourth down, Cousins was under pressure and couldn’t get Hodge.
A false start by Miami backed them up five yards. Gordon then got three yards, and then rolled for a first down. Kaden Elliss then sniffed out a quick swing pass to Achane and dropped him for a loss of two. Achane was then dropped after gaining a couple of yards.
Achane rolled for a first down. Brandon Dorlus then got another tackle for a loss. A screen to Ollie Gordon then went for yet another easy touchdown. 31-3 Dolphins.
Another catch for Pitts for five. A quick pass to Bijan went for four yards. Bijan then made a decisive cut to pick up three yards and a first down. Cousins then took a deep shot to Mooney, but two defenders were on him, one bumped into him without looking for the ball, and it fell incomplete. Hodge then caught one and lowered his shoulder for seven yards. A false start backed the Falcons up another five yards. Pitts then brought in another one, but it was only for a yard. Yet another short pass to Pitts didn’t have the blocking and it was a turnover on downs.
Another bullet to Waddle went for another first down. Achane was then tackled for a yard. A pass under pressure was broken up. After the field goal try, it was 34-3 Dolphins.
Tight coverage ensured the first down pass fell incomplete. The second down pass to Tyler Allgeier went for six yards. Cousins tried to hit Hodge on the sideline, but it didn’t connect. Cousins then got Hodge on fourth down for a first down. Cousins was hit as he threw and missed badly down the sideline as a result. A long pass to Casey Washington went for 25 yards, as Cousins hung in to make a big throw after a hard hit. A two yard pickup was followed by yet another Pitts target for five yards. A shot to Mooney got the Falcons closer, and then Allgeier powered it in for a touchdown. 34-10 Miami.
The Falcons tried an onside kick and a leaping Feleipe Franks nearly had it, but couldn’t hold on. Two straight runs picked up six yards. Gordon then picked up a first down and plunged for a yard after that. There was a series of carries to drive down the clock from there, but the Dolphins failed on a fourth down try.
Nate Carter then rolled for a first down. Carter then got a yard or two, and the game was over.