Tannehill threw for 236 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in Miami's 27-23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. His second touchdown was a crucial throw to rookie Dion Sims right on the goal line.
Surprisingly, both teams ran the ball well. Miami had 90 combined yards rushing, and Atlanta, without starter Steven Jackson, ran for 146 yards. Miami's defense struggled stopping the run early, but they tightened up when they had to. That's a running theme with this group. When it comes down to it they'll get the stops needed to win the game. There are definitely things that need to be fixed (i.e. sub-par secondary play, not enough pressure by the defensive line), but overall this team is looking pretty darn good.
No player really stood out on offense other than Tannehill. This was an all-around team effort. Nine different players caught a pass from Tannehill (including the oft-maligned Michael Egnew, who had an eight yard catch on the crucial scoring drive). Brandon Gibson was excellent on the last drive. He had multiple catches and almost scored a touchdown, but he was stopped at the one yard line.
Looking ahead, the Dolphins head to New Orleans next week for a Monday night matchup against the 3-0 Saints. A win against Drew Brees would be huge. That's going to end up being a really good game.
I'll leave you guys with this statistic: historically, whenever a team starts out 3-0 they have a 75% chance of making the playoffs.
Thanks for stopping by. Email me at paul@dolphinshout.com. I'm also on twitter @PaulDSmythe.
