With the Atlanta Falcons set to face the Miami Dolphins in Week 8, there is plenty of intrigue involving this matchup. That interest centers on the team’s ability to protect an injured quarterback on offense
and replace a major void at linebacker on defense. I’ll be naming five Falcons that figure prominently into those two issues.
Kirk Cousins
Given reports early Saturday morning suggesting that the Falcons will sit their injured quarterback Michael Penix in favor of veteran Kirk Cousins, the intrigue shot through the roof for this Dolphins game. Should Cousins step in for Penix, who is questionable for the game with a bone bruise in his knee, it’ll be interesting to see how this impacts the team’s passing game.
For the Falcons, this is the culmination of a decision made back in March to keep Cousins on the roster rather than cut him loose. Will Cousins help the Falcons bounce back and get their season back on track, while also enhancing his minuscule trade stock? Is that “Kirktober” magic still going? Intrigue abounds!
Bijan Robinson
Given the concerns surrounding the quarterback position, Falcons running back Bijan Robinson and the run game should take center stage against the Dolphins. Leaning on the run game should do wonders to help take pressure off the passing game. Bijan should get back to playing like one of the NFL’s best players against a vulnerable Dolphins run defense, which has given up the most 10 and 20-yard rushes of any team this season.
Robinson should also do plenty of damage in the passing game, as the Dolphins’ defense also gives up the eighth most receiving yards to running backs this season, per FTN Fantasy. As long as Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson commits to featuring him, Bijan should feast on Sunday.
Elijah Wilkinson
Another key factor in protecting their young quarterback will be the Falcons’ offensive line bouncing back after a rough outing against the 49ers. Right tackle Elijah Wilkinson is looking for the biggest rebound after PFF credited him with allowing four pressures, including two sacks, last week.
It won’t be easy to rally since Wilkinson faces potentially the toughest matchup against Dolphins edge rusher Jaelan Phillips. Phillips spends about 90 percent of his snaps lined up on the left side of the defense, which faces the right side of the offensive line. After missing most of 2024 with a torn ACL, Phillips is beginning to round into his pre-injury form as one of the league’s best young pass rushers. Since Week 3, Phillips ranks 10th among edges in pass rush win rate according to PFF, which is better than Bryce Huff, who was the 49er responsible for beating Wilkinson for both sacks in Week 7.
JD Bertrand and DeMarcco Hellams
Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich mentioned a committee of multiple players, including linebacker JD Bertrand and safety DeMarcco Hellams, tasked with filling the void left by injured linebacker Divine Deablo.
Bertrand is likely to do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to actually playing linebacker, as he stepped in against the 49ers. It was a tough night for the second-year player, but the team hopes that, with a full week of working with the starters, he’ll play better. Bertrand did give the Falcons decent play off the bench at points during his rookie season, and Ulbrich’s scheme has pretty universally enhanced all of the players he inherited over his predecessor. So there’s every reason to expect Bertrand to at least be functional as an injury fill-in next to Kaden Elliss.
Bertrand’s biggest challenge will be in coverage, where he struggled at times as a rookie, especially against speedy running back Ameer Abdullah in last year’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Unfortunately, he’ll see even greater speed against the Dolphins running back De’Von Achane come Sunday. Achane’s 803 receiving yards over the past two seasons combined rank second only behind Bijan’s 821 yards.
Meanwhile, Hellams’ fit in the committee approach likely will center on the Falcons deploying a big nickel set. Hellams saw nine snaps in that role against the 49ers, whenever they used heavy personnel groupings featuring a fullback or second tight end. About half the Dolphins’ offense is run out of such personnel groupings according to Sumer Sports, so expect the hard-hitting Hellams to bring more physicality to beef up the struggling Falcons’ run defense.
Can you name any more Atlanta Falcons that intrigue you in this Dolphins matchup?
