Going by the preseason, the Miami Dolphins were more than right to put so much money in Ryan Tannehill’s bank account, getting an excellent performance from their franchise quarterback in 13-9 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Tannehill completed 15-of-19 throws for 145 yards and one touchdown pass to Rishard Matthews. Focusing on short passes, Tannehill is 33 for 41 during the exhibition season for 303 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He left just before the end of the first half having played six series.
The Dolphins didn’t have the best of protection for Tannehill; The team’s center, Mike Pouncey, left the game in the first half because of a knee injury. For now, the Dolphins have just two players in their starting offensive line without an injury.
The defense looked very good against the Falcons’ first-team offense, allowing just 32 yards on 15 plays and sacking Matt Ryan three times.
There was nothing special in the running game for the Dolphins, averaging just 2.9 yards per carry as a team, and with Lamar Miller settling for 22 yards on six carries.