The Miami Dolphins welcomed the Atlanta Falcons to Hard Rock Stadium for their preseason finale on Friday, and Jeff Hafley's team fell 17-12, dropping them to 0-3 in their three exhibition games in 2026.
This contest brought the return of Tua Tagovailoa, who is battling to be Atlanta's starting quarterback. Against Miami's defense for the first time, he completed 7-of-8 passes for 95 yards with a 116.1 passer rating. However, he did lose the ball on a fumble.
Turnovers were a key aspect of this game, as Dolphins defensive back Miles Battle intercepted Jack Strand in the fourth quarter, and the two teams lost three fumbles between them.
For most of the night, Miami's offense struggled to do much, with Cam Miller and Mark Gronowski combining to complete
45.8% of their passes for 158 yards. Running backs Carlos Washington Jr. and Coleman Bennett also combined for just 42 yards on an abysmal 2.3 yards per attempt.
Defensively, the Dolphins held Atlanta in check for most of the night, as they scored on just three drives. They also took the ball away thrice and forced five three-and-outs. Their most impressive performance was against the run, as they held the Falcons' stable of running backs to just 36 yards on 2.1 yards per attempt.
Special teams was a mixed bag, as kicker Riley Patterson made four of his five attempts. His lone miss was blocked, but that wasn't the only miscue in the third phase of the game. Miami also had a shanked punt, which led to a field goal, and a kickoff out of bounds.
The Dolphins have plenty of work to do if they want to even have a respectable showing in 2026, but for now, they'll focus on cutting their roster over the weekend.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Instant analysis from Dolphins' preseason loss to Falcons
