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Falcons 30, Dolphins 28: Lots to Like in Top 10 Observations

There was a lot to like in the Falcons' win today.
Jeremy Brener|
Falcons 30, Dolphins 28: Lots to Like in Top 10 Observations
Falcons 30, Dolphins 28: Lots to Like in Top 10 Observations

Today's game between the Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins had a little bit of everything.

Luckily for the Falcons, it resulted in their third win in four weeks and a return to a .500 record.

Our Top 10 observations from Hard Rock Stadium ...

1. Kyle Pitts is good at football. The rookie tight end showed why the Falcons took him with the fourth overall pick. The former Florida Gator caught seven passes for 163 yards in the win and seemed to catch the ball at the right time in every crucial moment.

On the drive leading into halftime, Pitts came up with his biggest catch, a 39-yarder to set up Younghoe Koo for a field goal as the first half ended.

He also came up with this major catch on the final drive of the second half to push the Falcons into field goal range.

Without Pitts, the Falcons do not win this ball game, and Pitts is going to help the Falcons win many games during his career if he keeps this up.

2. Cordarrelle Patterson is the team's running back moving forward. The Falcons' gadget guy achieved something no other player has since the merger back in 1970. He became the first player with 10+ rushing touchdowns, 10+ receiving touchdowns, and 5+ kickoff returns in a career. However, in his new role with the Falcons, he appears to be primarily a running back. 

For the second straight game, Patterson logged 14 rushes and out-carried Mike Davis. Patterson came up with 60 rushing yards and just one receiving yard. Davis, meanwhile, only carried the ball four times for 10 yards, a season-low.

3. Foye Oluokun (once again) deserves our respect. Oluokun has arguably been the team's best player on defense this season. He leads the team in tackles, but came through with an interception today that really tipped the scales in the Falcons' favor.

The pick would lead to Patterson's touchdown three plays later.

Oluokun finished the day with 13 tackles, and continues to perform at an incredibly high level for the Falcons.

4. So does Ade Ogundeji. While the Falcons are getting production from their first round pick, each week their fifth round pick continues to improve. And without Ade Ogundeji's blocked kick in the first half, the Falcons would not have come away with a win today.

5. Deion Jones is still a beast. The Falcons' star linebacker had his best game of the season. His 15 total tackles tied a career-high and he was the only defender to sack Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

In order for the Falcons to continue to be great, having Jones play like this is a huge step towards that goal.

6. Jaylinn Hawkins needs to start. For the second consecutive game, the second-year defensive back recorded an interception. The big play ability Hawkins is showing is enough to prove that he needs more playing time, especially considering how injured the secondary is.

In Week 5 against the New York Jets, Hawkins played in every snap. With his play this week, he's forcing defensive coordinator Dean Pees and head coach Arthur Smith to keep him on the field. 

7. Despite the breakout performances, the defense has a lot of work. Even though the team came up with big plays on defense to save the game, it should never have been as close as it was to begin with.

The Falcons allowed 413 yards to the Dolphins' offense. Before today's game, the Dolphins managed an average of 290 yards per game, third-worst in the NFL. The defense was lucky that the offense bailed them out enough times thanks to Pitts' heroics.

8. Matty Ice keeps it cool. For a team that has a history of blowing late leads, Matt Ryan was not going to let this one slip away. Despite trailing by a point heading into the final drive after leading by double digits in the fourth quarter, Ryan stayed poised on the team's game-winning drive.

He sliced through the Dolphins' defense on the first two plays, finding Pitts for chunk gains and pushing the Falcons into field goal range.

Even with a young, rebuilding team, having a constant source of calamity is necessary for the team to learn and lead by example.

9. The Falcons should not trade Younghoe Koo. Even after some trade chatter during the week, Koo has proved once again how valuable he is as the team's kicker.

For the second time this season, Koo kicked the game-winner as time expired to pick up a win.

Koo remains perfect on the year and is one of only three kickers in the league with a 100% accuracy.

10. Maybe the Falcons have a shot here. With the win today, the Falcons improve to 3-3, winning their third game in four weeks. There's still a long way to get inside the playoff picture, but winning games like today's pay off. Three of the next five games for the Falcons come against teams under .500, so if the team can string a couple of those together, they could be lining themselves up for a playoff push in December.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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