The Miami Dolphins displayed their youth Friday night, winning 20-13 over the Atlanta Falcons at Hard Rock Stadium.
“It was a good feeling. Every game you play, you want to see your team finish,” Miami coach Mike McDaniel said after the game. “We found a way to win with really strong efforts. It was good to see our team get a win in front of the home fans.”
It was a night taken over by the rookies. Miami rested its starters, playing mostly draft choices and undrafted free agents.
Fourth-round draft choice Jaylen Wright led the ground attack with 55 yards on ten carries. He also scored the game-winning touchdown on a six-yard rush in the second quarter. Wright ran with speed and authority. He was pushing off would-be tacklers with stiff arms. He looked very good in his limited work.
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“It felt good. It was a blessing and a dream come true,” Wright said after the game. “I’ve always wanted to be here. There was a lot of anxiousness and anxiety today. It just shows how much love I have for the game. It’s good to get the first preseason game in the books.”
McDaniel liked what he saw of Wright.
“It was his first outing. I wanted to see a confident runner,” McDaniel said. “I wanted to see him confident after he saw something he didn’t like. It was a good first outing for him, and he finished strong.”
Chris Brooks played the second half and had 12 carries for 40 yards.
Second-round draft choice Patrick Paul started at left tackle and played most of the game. Paul played very well, giving the crowd on hand a glimpse of the future.
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The quarterback play, split evenly between Skylar Thompson, who started the game, and Mike White, was dismal. The two finished the game with a combined stat line of 12-for-33 for 121 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
Despite throwing the interception, Thompson performed better than White as he also tossed the only touchdown pass of the evening. Neither quarterback could sustain a drive. Round one would go to Thompson in the competition, but the play was so bad that it is hard to say that one was the clear winner.
Tanner Conner was the game’s leading receiver with 70 yards on four receptions. He had the most extended play of the evening, a 43-yard catch and run. He added a 21-yard reception later in the game but got injured.
The one passing touchdown came from Thompson, who threw a swing pass to Jeff Wilson, Jr. for the score. Wilson caught the ball short of the end zone but stretched out and had the football cross the pylon before he was tackled.
Rookie wide receiver Malik Washington had a terrific game. He also played well on special teams, returning punts and kickoffs with Braxton Berrios on the bench and not in uniform. Washington took an end-around and raced 21 yards before he got caught.
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Kicker Jason Sanders picked up where he left off last season, making two field goals out of three attempts. His 58-yard effort in the first quarter gave Miami an early 3-0 lead.
Defensively, rookie draft choice Patrick McMorris and undrafted free agent Storm Duck played a tremendous game.
Duck came up big on Atlanta’s final drive, breaking up two passes before the Falcons failed on fourth down. Miami won when a Tanner Rourke pass to O.J. Hiliare was ruled incomplete, as the receiver could not get both feet in bounds. Isaiah Johnson had tight coverage.
Miami did not come out of the game unscathed, as the injury bug bit them. Among the Dolphins players who sustained injuries Friday night were special teams ace and reserve cornerback Siran Neal, offensive lineman Kion Smith, outside linebacker Grayson Murphy, inside linebacker Ezekiel Vandenburgh, and tight ends Conner and Jody Fortson.
McDaniel also said that after the game, center Aaron Brewer, who injured his hand in practice this week, would be week to week.
Semi-truck fire leads to heavy traffic on I-95 in Miami-Dade A semi-truck fire led to heavy traffic on I-95 in Miami-Dade on Friday morning.
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
— A semi-truck fire shut down all southbound lanes of Interstate 95 early Friday morning in southeast Miami-Dade, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Troopers and fire crews responded to the scene near Northwest 79th Street, where the truck was found engulfed in flames. Fire rescue units performed foam operations to extinguish the fire, and city crews also responded.
All regular southbound lanes of I-95 were closed as emergency crews worked the scene. Traffic was being diverted into the express lanes, allowing vehicles to move past the area, though congestion was reported.
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Drivers heading southbound through the Little River area were advised to seek alternate routes, including U.S. 1 or U.S. 441, while crews continued operations.
No injuries were immediately reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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Ryan Mackey
Ryan Mackey is a Digital Journalist at WPLG. He was born on Long Island, New York, and has lived in Sunrise, Florida since 1994.
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Annaliese Garcia
Annaliese Garcia joined Local 10 News in January 2020. Born and raised in Miami, she graduated from the University of Miami, where she studied broadcast journalism. She began her career at Univision. Before arriving at Local 10, she was with NBC2 (WBBH-TV) covering Southwest Florida. She’s glad to be back in Miami!
MIAMI — They’re increasingly common on city streets across Miami, weaving through traffic and keeping pace with cars. E-bikes have become a popular and convenient way to get around, but the lithium-ion batteries that power them are now drawing increased scrutiny from fire officials concerned about safety.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responds to dozens of incidents each month involving lithium-ion batteries.
“We average responding to 40 to 50 investigations a month,” said Capt. Gerard Forrester of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.
As e-bike use continues to grow, Forrester said the batteries can quickly become dangerous, even when the bikes are not in motion and are simply charging.
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Cellphone video captured firefighters battling an intense backyard fire that tore through a wooden shed in northeast Miami-Dade. Officials said the blaze illustrates how quickly lithium-ion battery fires can escalate.
“Sheds are not air-conditioned, and they get a couple hundred degrees and direct sunlight in Miami,” Forrester said.
Fire officials warn that storing or charging e-bikes near combustible materials can worsen the damage if a battery overheats.
“If you do have to leave it outside, don’t put it against the wall or any possible material near it, like paper or any kind of garbage that may, if it goes into thermal runaway, aid in the extension of the fire,” Forrester said.
A department demonstration shows how lithium batteries can overheat, particularly when exposed to direct sunlight.
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“Direct sunlight is not the ideal thing,” Forrester said, adding that charging should be done carefully. “If you’re going to charge something, preferably it would be outside your garage.”
Earlier this month, fast-moving flames ripped through a duplex in the Brownsville neighborhood of northwest Miami-Dade. Investigators said an e-bike left charging inside the home is now at the center of the investigation.
“People are losing everything, and it’s devastating for our community,” Forrester said.
Fire officials emphasized that lithium-ion battery fires are especially difficult to extinguish.
“A lithium battery vehicle or electric vehicle — you dunk it in water, it’s still going to burn,” Forrester said.
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Miami-Dade Fire Rescue continues urging residents to take precautions when storing and charging e-bikes to reduce the risk of fire.
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