Week 8 Dolphins at Falcons

True fan wanting the team to lose.

 

True fans don’t root for the team to lose. You can do better.

 

True fans don’t root for the team to lose EVER. When they win not happy. When they lose not happy.

 

I root every week for them to win. So yeah I have a higher bar than you if you are hoping they lose.

 

The OP you jumped on posted “I was hoping Falcons would blow our doors off.”

So yeah that’s rooting against them.

 

See above. You can have your perspective. No problem. But actively wanting them to lose any game is not a true fan. IMO. And that’s the right opinion.

 

Yes that is the definition of rooting against the team.

 

What a difference a week makes. And, for Mike McDaniel, Tua Tagovailoa and the rest of the Miami Dolphins, what a difference a win makes. Miami puffed out their chests and played with pride on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, posting a suffocating 34-10 victory that offered convincing efforts on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Miami, of course, isn't back in the swing of things in the big picture. Not even close. But more days like this one will help.
Interestingly enough, the Dolphins' offense got on track thanks in part to a strategy we have not seen from Mike McDanielever in his tenure with the organization. And it helped to bear some fruit as Miami got themselves back on track — Mike McDaniel dialed up six offensive linemen on the field at once and debuted a Jumbo package.

Dolphins' sixth offensive lineman helps yield positive change for Miami
"Utilization of your roster, we had a couple injuries that we saw the opportunity to dive into some of the things that Dan (Brunskill) has done. Knowing him from all the way back to his 2019 San Francisco (season), I know what type of professional he is, and his versatility. We had some injuries at the (tight end) position so it gave us the opportunity to do something that...having not done that one time since I've been here, that they wouldn't be preparing for it. So it's a credit to him. Offensive linemen, typically in the segmentation of the offensive play call, don't even listen to the formation at all...so for him to, in a week's time, be able to digest the play calls, and the assignments, and the alignments? It takes a special breed, that's why I think that's his sixth position in the league, that he's started at."
Miami Dolphins' Week 8 offensive performance vs. Falcons by the numbers

• 24 first downs
• 7/15 on third & fourth downs
• 338 yards of offense (5.2 yards per play)
• 141 rushing yards
• 3/5 in trips to the red zone

As McDaniel outlined, the Dolphins have never run a jumbo package during his tenure with Miami. Miami was the only team in the league to not run a single snap with six offensive linemen on the field since the start of the 2022 season — and it marks Miami's solution to their issues without tight end Julian Hill in the picture, who missed this game with an ankle injury.

Brunskill, who played with McDaniel in San Francisco, didn't just line up and plow bodies off the line of scrimmage, either. The Dolphins were so bold as to give him motions and in-space assignments across his plays in this game.

Among reps with Brunskill in the game as an eligible player, Miami posted gains of 17 yards, 18 yards, 18 yards, and also logged gains of 21 yards and 15 yards via penalties.

Moves like these are the mark of a good coach. We haven't seen enough of them from Mike McDaniel this season. But he deserves to be applauded for getting creative with this particular personnel issue, particularly given the dire situation they were faced with as the tight end position was down several key bodies. The alternatives included practice squad player Hayden Rucci and Greg Dulcich at tight end. On this day, it was the right button to push to help create a winning formula. How it evolves from here? That's for us to find out starting on Thursday night against the Baltimore Ravens.

 

You've officially gone off the rails. But the comedy aspect is entertaining. Let's move on.

 

Game Recap: Dolphins Dominate Falcons, 34-10
Oct 26, 2025 at 11:33 PM

The Miami Dolphins earned their first road victory of the season Sunday afternoon at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, defeating the Atlanta Falcons 34–10 behind a balanced offensive effort and a stingy defensive performance. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa led the way with four touchdown passes, while running back De'Von Achane totaled 91 scrimmage yards and a score.
After both teams traded punts to open the game, Miami's offense found its rhythm on its second possession. Tagovailoa completed a 17-yard pass to wide receiver Malik Washington, then mixed in runs by Achane and running back Ollie Gordon II to move deep into Falcons territory. Tagovailoa capped the 13-play, 79-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Achane with 2:38 remaining in the first quarter. Kicker Riley Patterson's extra point gave the Dolphins a 7–0 lead.

Atlanta answered early in the second quarter with a 45-yard field goal by kicker Parker Romo, but Miami's defense forced a three-and-out on the next Falcons possession. After Atlanta punted from their own 8-yard line, the Dolphins capitalized on the short field with a 34-yard Patterson field goal to extend the lead to 10–3.

With less than five minutes remaining in the half, Tagovailoa orchestrated one of Miami's best drives of the season — a 10-play, 82-yard march highlighted by completions to Washington, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. Rolling left, Tagovailoa found Washington open in the front corner of the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown with 11 seconds remaining in the half. Patterson's PAT made it 17–3 at halftime.

Miami's defense opened the second half with another timely play. At 10:31 in the third quarter, linebacker Tyrel Dodson recovered a fumble after Falcons running back Bijan Robinson lost control of the ball inside the red zone. The Dolphins capitalized on the turnover, as Tagovailoa connected with Waddle on a slant route over the middle. Waddle cut upfield and sprinted into the end zone for a 43-yard touchdown with 4:26 remaining in the quarter, extending Miami's lead to 24–3.

Early in the fourth quarter, Miami kept its momentum. Achane picked up key yards on the ground before Tagovailoa dumped a short pass to Gordon, who weaved up the left sideline for a 20-yard touchdown — the first touchdown reception of his career – giving Miami a 31–3 advantage.

On Atlanta's next drive, the Falcons faced a 4th-and-7 from their own 39-yard line. Quarterback Kirk Cousins completed a short pass to tight end Kyle Pitts for two yards, but safety Ifeatu Melifonwu made the stop short of the marker to force a turnover on downs.

Miami converted the field position into a 36-yard Patterson field goal, stretching the advantage to 34–3. Atlanta added a late 6-yard touchdown run from running back Tyler Allgeier, but the Dolphins closed out the 34–10 win comfortably.

Tagovailoa finished 20-of-26 for 205 yards and four touchdowns, while Achane tallied 18 carries for 67 yards and caught five passes for 24 yards and a touchdown. Waddle paced all receivers with five catches for 99 yards and a score, while Washington added four receptions for 36 yards and a touchdown. Additionally, Gordon recorded 10 carries for 46 rushing yards and the 20-yard receiving score.

On defense, linebacker Jordyn Brooks led the way with 10 tackles (seven solo), 1.0 sack and three tackles for loss. Dodson added four tackles (three solo) with a fumble recovery, and defensive tackle Zach Sieler chipped two tackles (one solo) and a tackle for loss. Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu recorded five tackles (four solo) and helped limit Atlanta's passing game, while cornerback Jack Jones tallied four tackles (three solo). The Dolphins' defense held Robinson to just 25 yards rushing, his fewest since Week 1 and limited the Falcons to just 45 total yards on the ground.

The Dolphins (2–6) return home on Thursday, October 30, to face the Baltimore Ravens at Hard Rock Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video.