The Atlanta Falcons were defeated by the Miami Dolphins 34-10 on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with an attendance of 71,344 fans. The loss drops the Falcons to a 3-4 record for the season.
Tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. led Atlanta’s offense, catching all nine of his targets for 59 yards. This performance tied his career-high for receptions in a game since Week 5 of the 2021 season and made him only the third tight end in franchise history to have multiple games with nine or more catches. Pitts’ total of 16 receptions over the last two games also matches his previous best two-game stretch from Weeks 5 and 7 of the 2021 season.
Running back Tyler Allgeier scored Atlanta’s only touchdown with a six-yard run in the fourth quarter, bringing his season total to four touchdowns—matching his single-season high from last year before reaching midseason. Allgeier surpassed 3,000 career scrimmage yards during the game, becoming just the 14th running back in team history to reach that milestone.
Atlanta forced Miami into a three-and-out on its opening drive, marking the third time this season they have accomplished that feat. At that point in the season, they were one of seven teams to force three or more opening-drive three-and-outs.
The Falcons are now winless (0-2) when their opponent scores first this year. The Dolphins opened scoring with a three-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter; previously, Atlanta lost to Carolina after conceding an early score.
Despite entering Week 8 ranked fourth in rushing offense with an average of over 136 yards per game, Atlanta was held to just 45 rushing yards against Miami—their lowest output this season. Miami had been ranked last in rushing defense coming into this matchup.
Atlanta managed only eleven first downs—tying their fewest since 2008—and converted just two out of eleven third-down attempts for an efficiency rate of under twenty percent.
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw four touchdown passes against Atlanta for a second time in his career; he is now one of nine quarterbacks who have thrown at least four touchdowns against the Falcons multiple times.
Before Sunday’s game, Atlanta had committed fewer penalties than any other NFL team (33). However, they matched their single-game high for penalties this year with eight infractions against Miami—a number previously reached during their Week 1 loss to Tampa Bay.
After the defeat, head coach Raheem Morris addressed keeping team morale intact: “This is a team. These guys won’t stray away from each other. The locker room will stay together. They’ll stay bonded. Not worried about that, but we’ve definitely got to correct the physical mistakes that we made.”
Running back Bijan Robinson commented on inconsistency throughout the season: “This is my third year, and I don’t want to keep saying, ‘We played low on Sunday and high on another Sunday.’ Consistency has been the biggest thing for us as a team, and that’s what needs to be preached.”
Inside linebacker Kaden Elliss expressed surprise at Sunday’s result: “Very. This was a game I expected us to come out and win.”
On Miami’s side, head coach Mike McDaniel explained adjustments regardless of who played quarterback: “The plan from the onset was to have a pack mentality on the runner…Trying to keep them one-dimensional was a priority, regardless of the quarterback…”
For individual performances: Kirk Cousins completed twenty-one passes for one hundred seventy-three yards as Atlanta’s quarterback; Tua Tagovailoa led Miami with twenty completions for two hundred five yards and four touchdowns. De’Von Achane paced all rushers with sixty-seven yards while Jaylen Waddle topped receivers with ninety-nine receiving yards and one touchdown.
Kaden Elliss led all tacklers with twelve stops for Atlanta; Jordyn Brooks recorded ten tackles—including one sack—for Miami.
Looking ahead, Atlanta begins a two-game road trip next week facing New England Patriots (6-2) at Gillette Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m., broadcast live by CBS. The Patriots enter after defeating Cleveland Browns at home last week.
