Atlanta Falcons 4 keys to victory: Falcons @ Dolphins

One constant of the Miami Dolphins, be it with Tagovailoa or Brissett under center, is their use of Mike Gesicki. Gesicki is a really, really good tight end. 30 targets, 342 yards, and a touchdown; he leads the team in yardage, and is second only to Jaylen Waddle for targets and receptions. The Falcons have been pretty good at keeping tight ends at bay in 2021. But, it’s fair to say, they’ve not necessarily faced a proposition like this yet.

Maybe that’s overdoing it. In their opening two weeks, they gave up three touchdowns to Dallas Goedert and Rob Gronkowski. That’s a tough ask for any defense. But neither player are the almost de-facto first read for their quarterbacks. The connection between Tagovailoa and Gesicki was prevalent in 2020, and reared its head again in London on Sunday. Gesicki accounted for 115 passing yards from 8 receptions; just under a third of Miami’s total passing yards. That volume of production should concert the Falcons.

The loss of Isaiah Oliver is going to make the job that bit more difficult, given how well he’s performed this season as the teams nickel corner. With him out, the Falcons over the middle defense takes a hit, and you’d expect Deion Jones to be the guy likely tasked with holding Gesicki up in the passing game. Failing that, Richie Grant’s slot corner experience might well come in handy as they try to keep the Dolphins (almost) forgotten weapon under wraps.

I’m not saying that the Dolphins don’t have options outside of Gesicki. Far from it. But the Falcons’ ability to defend someone like Jaylen Waddle is made that bit easier if his foil is being well accounted for. The Falcons’ victory this Sunday might well depend on him having a quiet afternoon.