The Atlanta Falcons have won their preseason finale on the road against the Miami Dolphins, 17-12.
Of course preseason wins only matter to the Baltimore Ravens - everyone else uses these games to evaluate their players and decide who should be starting and who should make their initial 53-man rosters.
Let's review how the Falcons did in all three phases against a Miami team that's expected to be at the bottom of the AFC standings at the end of the year.
Offense
Tua Tagovailoa got booed by the Dolphins fanbase when he came out for his first possession, but he soon put them on quiet mode. After a quick dump-off to Jahan Dotson for 11 yards he found tight end Kyle Pitts on a quick-hitter, which ended in a 37-yard gain. A couple of handoffs to Brian Robinson
Jr. later, and the Falcons were in the end zone for an early lead.
Tua only stayed on the field for a couple more drives, both of which ended in turnovers. First, backup center Corey Levin fumbled a snap that officially went on Tagovailoa's record, then Robinson fumbled on a rush which was recovered by the Dolphins. Nevertheless, the Falcons led 7-3 at the end of the first quarter when Tagovailoa left the game.
Cooper Rush came in next, and he was able to slice up the backups for the projected worst team in the league this year. He went 13/18 for 106 yards, one touchdown and a 105.3 passer rating, setting Atlanta up for a field goal and a 17-6 lead going into the locker room at halftime.
While their passing game was working most of the evening, the Falcons were unable to get their run game off the ground. Brian Robinson led them with just 15 yards on five carries and they average just 20 yards on 11 carries (1.8 YPC) in the first half. The Falcons ended the outing with just 41 rushing yards on 24 attempts.
Rookie Jack Strand came in at quarterback to begin the second half but barely saw any work in the third quarter, going 2/2 for 11 yards. He technically threw one interception, but it was off a deflection and not his fault. Strand finished the game 6/7 for 43 yards and no touchdowns.
Defense
The Falcons decided to play their starting defense against Miami's backups on offense on the first possession of the game, which ended how you would hope. Cam Miller and the Dolphins went backwards on their opening drive, which ended in a three-and-out courtesy of some bullying up front from Brandon Dorlus and Samson Ebukam.
Atlanta's defense continued to push the Dolphins around until halftime, with Cameron Thomas and rookie linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. notching sacks against Miller. They also were able to contain Miami's run game, limiting the Dolphins' backs to just 21 rushing yards and 2.6 yards per attempt in the first half.
The Dolphins got some momentum with their run game in the third quarter, but Atlanta's defense held up, keeping them out of the end zone through three quarters, still leading 17-9.
In the end, the Falcons tallied five sacks, eight QB hits and seven tackles for a loss all together. They held the Dolp[hins to just 236 total yards.
Special teams
The Falcons got another solid game out of their punt returners, with Dylan Drummond and Zachariah Branch both going for 18 on their best respective attempts. Rookie Vinny Anthony II had the biggest kickoff return of the evening, posting a 52-yarder late in the game.
Meanwhile, Nick Folk made his only field goal from 34 yards out and Jake Bailey totaled 281 yards on five punts.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Instant Analysis: Falcons club Dolphins in final preseason game
