This was preseason football at its finest. The Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons went back and forth with punts and eagerly ran the ball to the tune of six combined points through three quarters.
Aided by a punt-return touchdown, a pick-six and overall timely defense, the Falcons took the preseason Week 1 win, 19-3.
Offensive spotlight: If you enjoy ground-and-pound, running back-centric football, this game was for you. Miami and Atlanta combined for 270 rushing yards on 52 carries.
Godwin Igwebuike was the Falcons' top back, forcing a missed tackle and gaining 33 of his 70 yards after contact, pending review. Myles Gaskin featured for Miami and racked up seven missed tackles as a runner.
Defensive spotlight: Dolphins edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah played the first quarter and was efficient on his 11 snaps. He earned an 87.6 PFF grade on first review after winning two of his seven pass-rush reps en route to a quarterback hit.
Rookie spotlight: Falcons safety DeMarcco Hellams, a seventh-round pick out of Alabama, snagged a first-quarter interception and finished as one of the game's highest-graded rookies (73.5) on first review.
Hellams of a start
📺: FOX | NFL+ pic.twitter.com/VNdbCMuxbU
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) August 11, 2023
Offensive line spotlight: Jalen Mayfield, in his return to the field after missing all of 2022, surrendered two pressures on 11 pass-blocking snaps. He started at left guard for the team as a rookie in 2021, earning just a 48.7 PFF grade, but enters this season as a backup.
Box Score
Passing
Atlanta Falcons |
||||||
| Player | Fantasy | Comp/Att | Yds | YPA | TD | Int |
| Logan Woodside | 6.34 | 14 / 23 | 146 | 6.3 | 0 | 0 |
Miami Dolphins |
||||||
| Player | Fantasy | Comp/Att | Yds | YPA | TD | Int |
| Mike White | 2.4 | 9 / 14 | 85 | 6.1 | 0 | 1 |
| Skylar Thompson | 2.16 | 10 / 16 | 104 | 6.5 | 0 | 2 |
Rushing
Atlanta Falcons |
||||||
| Player | Fantasy | Car | Yds | YPC | TD | Long |
| Godwin Igwebuike | 13 | 13 | 70 | 5.4 | 1 | 11 |
| Carlos Washington | 7.6 | 12 | 27 | 2.2 | 0 | 7 |
| Logan Woodside | 6.34 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Miami Dolphins |
||||||
| Player | Fantasy | Car | Yds | YPC | TD | Long |
| De'Von Achane | 10.6 | 10 | 25 | 2.5 | 0 | 6 |
| Myles Gaskin | 9.7 | 7 | 57 | 8.1 | 0 | 35 |
| Erik Ezukanma | 9.7 | 2 | 52 | 26 | 0 | 39 |
| Chris Brooks | 4.5 | 5 | 24 | 4.8 | 0 | 10 |
| Skylar Thompson | 2.16 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Receiving
Atlanta Falcons |
||||||
| Player | Fantasy | Tgt | Rec | Yds | YPT | TD |
| Carlos Washington | 7.6 | 4 | 3 | 19 | 4.8 | 0 |
| Xavier Malone | 7 | 2 | 2 | 50 | 25 | 0 |
| Tucker Fisk | 4.5 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 5 | 0 |
| J.J. Arcega-Whiteside | 3 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 10 | 0 |
| Josh Ali | 2.4 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 4.7 | 0 |
| Penny Hart | 1.9 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| Scott Miller | 1.9 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| Mathew Sexton | 1.5 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1.7 | 0 |
| Clint Ratkovich | 1.5 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Frank Darby | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Parker Hesse | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Slade Bolden | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Miami Dolphins |
||||||
| Player | Fantasy | Tgt | Rec | Yds | YPT | TD |
| De'Von Achane | 10.6 | 4 | 4 | 41 | 10.2 | 0 |
| Myles Gaskin | 9.7 | 2 | 2 | 20 | 10 | 0 |
| Erik Ezukanma | 9.7 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 5 | 0 |
| Elijah Higgins | 5.6 | 3 | 2 | 36 | 12 | 0 |
| Chris Brooks | 4.5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 11 | 0 |
| Cedrick Wilson Jr. | 2.7 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 8.5 | 0 |
| River Cracraft | 2.4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 14 | 0 |
| Chris Coleman | 2.2 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 6 | 0 |
| Eric Saubert | 1.6 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| Salvon Ahmed | 1.6 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| Tyler Kroft | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Braxton Berrios | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Freddie Swain | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daewood Davis | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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