Five takeaways as Dolphins walk into Atlanta and whoop Falcons 34-10
At the start of the fourth quarter, a cheer broke out throughout Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“Let’s go Dolphins,” fans sang, followed by a syncopated five claps. “Let’s go Dolphins.”
The irony: this was the first time all month that Miami Dolphins supporters truly had a reason to be happy. That’s because the Dolphins came into Atlanta and whopped the Falcons 34-10, effectively ending a three-game skid.
And while Tua Tagovailoa and the offense certainly deserve credit for a dominant performance, especially considering his swollen eye, what’s more intriguing is how the defense locked down the Falcons.
Defense clamps up Bijan Robinson
Any time Robinson steps on the field, odds are he’s the best player.
That meant the Dolphins defense, the worst in the NFL against the run, had to focus on the third-year tailback.
Luckily, they shut Robinson down, limiting him to just 48 total yards, 25 of which came on the ground. Robinson even coughed up a fumble in the red zone.
“We knew they were going to try to give it to a dangerous player, and we needed to have multiple players on every play around the ball,” coach Mike McDaniel said.
Defense overall just balls
Two.
That’s how many third-down conversions that the Dolphins defense allowed. In total, the Dolphins limited the Falcons to 2/11 on third downs, a staggering 18% conversion rate.
“Stopping the run not only changed the time of possession, but it also was an assistant to the third down execution where we could be a little aggressive,” McDaniel said.
The Dolphins’ dominance didn’t stop there: the Falcons only rushed for 45 yards. Backup quarterback Kirk Cousins only threw for 173 yards. And the Falcons’ sole touchdown came during garbage time late in the fourth quarter.
“If you stop the run, it just opens up the gate for everything else,” edge rusher Jaelan Phillips said. “You can’t stop the run, you won’t have the opportunity to do anything.”
Dolphins running backs dominate
Despite the hype surrounding Robinson, it was the Dolphins’ tailbacks who balled out.
De’Von Achane rushed 18 times for 67 yards, while the rookie Ollie Gordon II had 10 carries for 46. Both also contributed in the pass game, with Achane catching five balls for 24 yards and a touchdown while Gordon took his sole catch 20 yards to the house.
Even Jaylen Wright, who hadn’t played all season, got a few touches. He finished with nine carries for 28 yards.
“I’ve liked how we’ve blocked in the run game, but the games haven’t played out where you are able to fully lean on that development,” McDaniel said. “There were some really good plays by the runners, in particular on third down, the extra yardage that Ollie Gordon and De’Von Achane were able to get. And Jaylen Wright’s late drive, we were able to incorporate all three and that helped us a lot.”
Tagovailoa takes care of the ball
Following his disastrous performance against the Cleveland Browns, Tagovailoa admitted that he hadn’t played up to his standard in 2025.
That couldn’t be further from the truth as the sixth-year veteran had tossed a league-high 10 picks heading into Week 8.
Still, Tagovailoa put on a masterful performance against the Falcons, completing 77% of his passes for 205 yards and four touchdowns. The best part: the former Alabama standout escaped without a turnover.
The franchise quarterback credited the run game for his success through the air.
“With our boot game, it helped with that,” Tagovailoa said. “With our play action game, it helped with that. As much as we ran the ball under the center, we also ran it a good amount in the gun and in the pistol so then now, it’s all about what we want to do at the second level.”
Tagovailoa reignites connection with Waddle:
Good things happen when Tagovailoa and Jaylen Waddle connect.
After a one-catch-performance last week against the Cleveland Browns, Waddle was bound to bounce back.
He did just that against the Falcons, securing five catches for 99 yards and a touchdown. The highlight – and dagger – came towards the end of the third quarter, when Tagovailoa found Waddle for a 43-yard catch-and-run.
“Tua is not one to be rattled easy,” Waddle said. “He’s extremely confident. We got extreme confidence in him to go out there and make plays and do his job at a high level. He expects us to go out there and help him.”
This story was originally published October 26, 2025 at 3:58 PM.
