Nine Crucial Takeaways from Falcons' 17-12 Win Over Dolphins as Roster Cuts Loom

The Atlanta Falcons finished their preseason on Friday with a 17-12 win against the Miami Dolphins. With several jobs on the line, the Falcons lined up in the first quarter with almost all of their starters.

They dominated the first half, and several players made the decision on pending roster cuts that much harder.

Here are nine takeaways from Friday night's action.

Fast Start for Tua, but Then...

All eyes were on Tua Tagovailoa on the Falcons first possession as he took the field to a chorus of boos. Tagovailoa quickly quieted the few Dolphins fans who showed up for the game with a surgical 60-yard touchdown drive.

Tagovailoa was 5 of 6 passing for 54 yards, including a short completion to Kyle Pitts Sr. on 3rd and 11 that turned into a 37-yard gain. Falcons fans are accustomed to seeing Pitts catch screens at or behind the line of scrimmage, but this was different. Pitts caught the ball while he was moving instead of his feet planted.

He continued his momentum around the corner for a big gain up the sideline.

KP down the sideline!

With the @DrakeLondon_ block 👀

FOX | NFL+ pic.twitter.com/5vQ1gLa0gH
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) August 28, 2026

Tagovailoa fumbled the first snap of the Falcons' second drive. It was Tagovailoa's fourth drive of the preseason, and he has two fumbles. Not much else matters if he's putting the ball on the ground with unforced errors. The defense held, and Chris Williams blocked a Dolphins 56-yard field goal attempt.

Tagovailoa's third drive moved the team down the field, but it ended after a Brian Robinson Jr. fumble. He was an efficient 7 of 8 passing for 95 yards and a 116.1 passer rating.

We've predicted from the beginning of camp that the Falcons would take three quarterbacks: Michael Penix Jr., Tagovailoa, and Jack Strand. We'll stand by that, with Penix getting the start as soon as Stefanski is comfortable with his health.

That could be as soon as the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 13th.

What About Jack?

Undrafted free agent quarterback Jack Strand was the talk of not just Atlanta, but around the league after his performance against the Indianapolis Colts last week.

He got the ball to start the third quarter and cooled off a bit on his first drive. He was immediately in a hole after the Falcons were penalized for an illegal formation, making it 1st and 15. He was 2 of 2 passing and took a sack on third down for a three-and-out.

The following two drives were three-and-outs as well. His fourth drive ended in an interception that went through the hands of running back Nate Carter.

Strand came back down to earth, finishing 6/7 for 43 yards, an interception, and a 52.7 passer rating. He did have a nice RPO keeper for a first down that allowed the Falcons to run out the clock at the end of the game.

The Hidden Yards that Win Games

As we continue to monitor the improvement of special teams, the Falcons got off to a good start once again. Kickoff coverage has been much improved, and the Dolphins began their opening drive at the 26. After a three-and-out, former Falcon punter Bradley Pinion boomed a 60-yard punt.

Zachariah Branch returned it 18 yards to the Falcons' 40. After one series, the Falcons were plus-14 yards in field position. The importance of the hidden yardage cannot be understated after Atlanta finished last in kickoff coverage and returns, and 27th in punt returns.

The Falcons finally gave up a big return towards the end of the first half. After going up 14-3, Jalen Reagor returned the ensuing kickoff 48 yards to the Falcons 49 yard-line. The defense held the Dolphins to a field goal, and then held the Dolphins on the kickoff and started their next drive on the 18-yard line.

Jake Bailey had a big night with five punts averaging a whopping 56.2 yards, while the Dolphins managed just 13 total return yards for a net of 53.6 yards per punt.

Undrafted free agent rookie Vinny Anthony added a 51-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter that helped the Falcons ice the game.

Mr. Underrated

The Falcons' defensive line has been ranked the worst in the NFL by multiple publications. When ranking the top defensive tackles in the league, no one mentions the guy who led the NFC in sacks from an interior position: Brandon Dorlus.

But there he was pressuring Dolphins quarterback Cam Miller on 3rd and 18 to get Miami off the field on the first series. If he's not the most underrated player not just on the Falcons, but across the league, he's in the conversation.

More on That DL

Last week, we moved undrafted rookie Carlos Allen Jr. onto the 53-man roster and took Chris Williams off of it. Williams was a menace on Friday against the Dolphins and added a blocked punt.

The Falcons may try to sneak Allen onto the practice squad, but for a team with such a poor defensive line, allegedly, there sure are a lot of good players to choose from and tough choices to make.

Solidifying His Spot

Fourth-year safety DeMarcco Hellams isn't in any danger of missing out on a spot on the 53-man roster, but he left no doubt on Friday night that he's not just making the team; he played like a starter in place of Jessie Bates III.

He was involved early with a pass breakup and a near interception, while playing enforcer in the middle of the defense. He and Bates are both scheduled to be free agents at the end of the season. Could the Falcons be thinking they could save millions of dollars by keeping Hellams and letting Bates walk?

Divine Deablo and....?

For the past several years, the Falcons two starting linebackers played roughly 100% of the snaps in any game. Divine Deablo will probably still be on the field in all situations in 2026, but rookies Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. look like they're going to see significant snaps in different formation packages as well.

Perkins was the first linebacker on the field next to Deablo on the game's first play. On the second play, he came out and was replaced by Daniels. Both saw action in coverage, against the run, and rushing the passer, and both did it effectively.

Thunder and lightning is a nickname usually reserved for running backs, but the 6'5 and 240-pound Daniels and the 6'0 and 220-pound Perkins certainly fit.

Christian Harris, penciled in as the starter ahead of training camp, is increasingly looking like the fourth linebacker on the team.

Clock Management

Often, when we hear the term "clock management," we think of end-of-half situations and using timeouts correctly. But what is equally, if not more, important is the clock management on every play, the play clock management if you will.

No matter who was quarterback, the Falcons routinely got to the line with 15-plus seconds on the play clock, giving the quarterback time to make adjustments and instill a sense of calm. Too many times in the past, we've seen the Falcons have to rush to the line and have no ability to check out of a play based on the look they're getting from the defense.

Of course, the end of half clock management needed improvement over last season as well. Cooper Rush led a textbook two-minute drive to close the first half. The Falcons got good field position after a shanked punt, and then drove the ball 49 yards in six plays before kicking a field goal to go into halftime up 17-6.

That's GOOD son! 🔥@tgood1110

FOX | NFL+ pic.twitter.com/AVxREN9OHP
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) August 29, 2026

3rd Down Improvement

There were several reasons the Falcons had a 1-7 stretch last year, but one of the keys was their third-down offense and defense. Last year, the Falcons were 16th in the NFL, allowing 40% conversions to opposing offenses. They were 30th on offense with just a 33.3% conversion rate.

The Falcons were 9 of 17 (52.9%) on offense last week against the Colts, and the defense held Indianapolis to just 1 of 11 (9.1%). In the first half against the Dolphins, the offense was 3 of 6 (50%) and the defense was 1 of 8 (12.5%)

With a combined 52.2% on offense and 10.5% on defense, the Falcons would have been No. 1 in the NFL in both categories.

Obviously, those numbers aren't going to translate one-for-one in the regular season (especially defense), the early returns from Stefanski's staff have been positive.

What's Next?

The deadline for the Falcons to trim their roster to 53 players is Sunday at 6:00 p.m. EST. There are several close roster battles, especially on defense for what is a deeper team than in years past.

News will start trickling in well before the deadline, and we're keeping track of every move the Falcons make up until they announce their initial 53-man roster.

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