Atlanta Falcons 4 keys to victory: Falcons @ Dolphins

Something we’ve not seen nearly enough of from the Atlanta Falcons in a long time is the consistent pressuring of the quarterback. The Falcons pass rush has been dormant for longer than I care to remember. Unfortunately, things haven’t really changed in 2021. Despite the declarations of Dean Pees before the seasons start, the Falcons defense has combined for 9 sacks, with Dante Fowler Jr and Jacob Tuioti-Mariner joint top of the list with two apiece. That’s just not very good. Fortunately for the Falcons, the Dolphins offensive line simply isn’t very good either.

Between Tua Tagovailoa and Jacoby Brissett, Dolphins quarterbacks have taken 16 sacks across 7 games. For comparison’s sake, Matt Ryan has taken 8 sacks in 6. Defenses are twice as likely to take down a Dolphins QB than they are a Falcons QB, and the Falcons have to take advantage of that.

As we saw on Sunday, the Dolphins were up and comfortable when Tua was given time to pick his pass. As the Jaguars’ defense warmed up and started putting pressure on a pretty lackluster line, Tagovailoa became skittish. His throws became erratic, and his footwork effectively disappeared. That then affected his decision-making, which led to sacks, an interception of an appalling throw, and, ultimately, a loss to Jacksonville.

That is the challenge for this Falcons defensive front. If Pees is capable of finding a way of generating consistent pressure, it doesn’t matter which of the current Dolphins quarterbacks is under center. Pressure, and plenty of it, would be an excellent foundation for these Falcons to build on this Sunday.