Tua Tagovailoa threw for 329 yards and two scores in Miami’s excursion to London. However, down the stretch, Miami gave away a ten-point lead, and in a sequence that included a head-scratching decision to go for it on fourth down on their own side of the 50, they ended up giving the Jacksonville Jaguars a short enough field for them to convert a game-winning field goal as the final seconds ticked away. Miami was 11-5 in 2020; in 2021, they are 1-5. Next up is a visit from the Atlanta Falcons, who were in London two weeks ago and put together a solid win going into the bye. Matt Ryan now has eight touchdown passes without a single pick in his last three games, and a NFL betting line that started out as Miami -1 has swung 3 ½ points in the Falcons’ favor.
NFL Preview: Atlanta Falcons at Miami Dolphins (Sunday, October 24)
When: Sunday, October 24, 2021, 1:00 pm ET
Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
TV: FOX
Radio: WZGC 92.9 FM Atlanta / WQAM 560 AM Miami
Live Stream: Hulu
NFL Odds: Atlanta -2.5 / O/U 47.5 // Atlanta -140 / Miami +120
Why should you bet on the Falcons?
One reason for the Falcons’ recent improvement is a shoring up of the defense. Up front, the team has Marlon Davidson back at practice. He will join Grady Jarrett up front, which should give Jarrett some more room to operate. Dante Fowler has also been a force on the D-line. They should have room to do damage against Miami, as the Dolphins lost starting guard Michael DEiter. Left tackle Liam Eichenberg is a rookie struggling to keep defenders out of the backfield, and left guard Austin Jackson is having a tough sophomore season. Atlanta could harass Tagovailoa and shut down the running game with a big game from the front four.
The linebackers and secondary are still areas of improvement for the Falcons. Deion Jones and Foye Oluokun have high ceilings but have not reached them yet. Jaylinn Hawkins had a huge day against the Jets and should get more of a role. A.J. Terrell is emerging as an elite cornerback, but the team needs Fabian Moreau to contribute more on his side of the field.
The Dolphins still have DeVante Parker listed as questionable, and William Fuller V is already out of the lineup. Jaylen Waddle caught a touchdown last week and has a lot of potential as a rookie, but he still has some growth to do before he is considered elite.
Why should you put your money on the Dolphins?
Tagovailoa’s return from injury included a performance without a sack. However, that had more to do with his agility than with a solid day from the O-line. Tagovailoa was hurried 20 times, and while he acknowledged that his ribs were sore after the game (and he was limited in practice on Wednesday), his return to the offense means that the team can get back to its key offensive principles. This includes the pistol formation (which he used 16 percent of the time, while backup Jacoby Brissett only used it 1.9 percent of the time), as well as RPO plays.
Tagovailoa continues to show promise in intermediate-length passing. He was 8 of 8 for 163 yards on attempts traveling 10 to 19 yards. Brissett took over for Tagovailoa in Week 2 and started the next three games, but he went just 11 of 23 on attempts of that length. With Tagovailoa back, the Dolphins become a much more difficult team to load the box against. Obviously, the interception that he threw against Jacksonville is a pass he would like to have back, but overall, the offense should be much more productive with Tua back at the helm.
Final Score and Betting Prediction
Both of these teams have a lot of problems to solve, but the Falcons seem a little further down the track than Miami does. I predict a final score of Atlanta 27, Miami 16.
NFL Betting Odds
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