The Dolphins travel to Atlanta for the first time since 2017 to face the Falcons. It’s only an eight-hour drive from South Florida to North Georgia, and yet the Dolphins have traveled to Atlanta once every eight years since 2009. This will be the Dolphins’ second game at Mercedez-Benz Stadium as they look to remain undefeated in this building.
Fittingly, former Miami safety Reshad Jones – an Atlanta native – secured the Dolphins’ victory in the final moments of that 2017 contest with a red zone interception. Six months later, the Dolphins added another safety in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft in Minkah Fitzpatrick.
In his second stint with Miami, the five-time Pro Bowler is off to a strong start in 2025, allowing a passer rating of 77.1 with one interception and three assists. Fitzpatrick played several positions in the Dolphins secondary. Recently, Fitzpatrick has shown his versatility as a defensive back in the nickel role due to a handful of injuries at the position. He returns to safety on third downs, lining up all over the formation, in addition to his nickel duties.
The Dolphins will need Fitzpatrick to be as flexible as possible Sunday against a powerful and diverse Atlanta offense. Fitzpatrick has done it all this season. It covers tight ends. He plays in the deep position. He supports the run and follows the quarterback during blitzes. Atlanta has the matchup pieces to expand Fitzpatrick’s role. Tight end Kyle Pitts is off to the best start of his career. He lines up everywhere, splitting his time almost equally in the slot, wide and tethered to the line of scrimmage.
Drake London is a big receiver with rare kicking ability inside the slot. This could be an area where Miami deploys Fitzpatrick as London ranks 10th in yards per route run in the NFL from the slot position.
Finally, running back Bijon Robinson has forced 46 missed tackles (10 more than the second-leading tackler) and ranks sixth in rushing yards with 524.
“I think I see a little bit of Chris Johnson when you look at him in terms of all-purpose yards,” Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said. “How quickly he makes the decision to go down, how quickly he does it and his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield as well. Maybe a little bit of Marshall Faulk in there.” Miami’s offense will also have its work cut out for it. The Falcons hired former Jets defensive coordinator and interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich this offseason, signed outside linebacker Dante Fowler and drafted two more edge rushers in Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. This group, which blitzes at an NFL-high rate of 39.8 percent, is middle of the pack in pressure stats (tied for 14th in sacks, 24th in pressure rate).
This front complements a remade secondary, led by two rookie safeties, Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman Jr., to boast the best pass defense in the NFL. The Falcons have allowed just 144.5 passing yards per game and have seven interceptions this season, ninth best in the league.
Atlanta’s defense is built like the offense. Versatility, aggression and hungry young guys who play fast. With tight end Darren Waller on injured reserve, the Dolphins will likely lean on their two biggest producers: running back De’Von Achane and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. Together, Achane and Waddle totaled 1,088 yards from scrimmage, or 53 percent of the team’s total yards from scrimmage.
Be sure to check the injury report and official team social media accounts 90 minutes before kickoff to see who is active for the game.
Watch the game live on Sunday, October 26 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS, listen on Dolphins Radio Network and check Game Center for the latest coverage.
