Atlanta, GA
Five winners and two losers from Friday night’s Dolphins victory over the Falcons
The first of three Miami Dolphins preseason contests is in the books and several players did well during the team’s opening game of the exhibition season. Did they earn a roster spot? Maybe not yet, but they are definitely trending upward after Miami posted a 20-13 victory.
More than five players stood out against the Falcons, but we’ve decided to show these guys below some love. The list doesn’t include Jaylen Wright, but we should bring up the fact that he was impressive in his debut, posting his first NFL TD. With that said, these five players also deserve their flowers:
Winner: Tanner Conner – Conner played his best football since joining the Dolphins as a pro. Yes, it is preseason, but he was blocking well and was able to work the field and get open. He made the most of his opportunities and looked to put a little space between himself and Jody Fortson.
Winner: Ethan Bonner – Bonner is having one of the best camps of any player, and he showed fans that the hype is real. Bonner consistently made plays and was able to break his coverage to make tackles or hold up the ball carrier. Bonner may not have outright won a roster spot, but he is going to make it very hard for the Dolphins to cut him.
Winner: Storm Duck and Patrick McMorris – McMorris was drafted in the seventh round and no one expects him to make a big impact on the roster, but he made plays when he was in the game and that is all you can ask of a young guy trying to make a football team. As for Duck, the undrafted rookie was all over the field and made plays. He remains a bit of a longshot to make the roster, but his showing vs. Atlanta was a clear indication that he is going to fight for a spot.
Winner: Patrick Paul – It’s hard to look at Paul and find a reason to be remotely critical. Paul played almost the entire game, and he did very well. Using the strength in his legs, Paul was able to push defenders around, and when they were faster than him, his long arms helped keep them at bay. Paul gained a lot of experience in this one and he will get more reps in the final two preseason games while the Dolphins keep Terron Armstead off the field.
Loser: Willie Snead – Snead didn’t impress anyone, and what makes it worse is that announcer Kim Bokamper mentioned that he has struggled with catching passes in practice. That isn’t something you would expect from a veteran wideout. Snead is far from a lock to make the roster and didn’t do himself any favors in his first Miami appearance.
Loser: Mike White – White came in against the deeper Atlanta Falcons roster and did nothing to show he deserved the backup job behind Tua Tagovailoa. Skylar Thompson didn’t have a great game either, but White’s game was worse. The Dolphins may need to look outside of the team to find an answer. Neither QB looked like a player fans will have confidence in should Tagovailoa go down.
Atlanta, GA
4 injured after Delta Air Lines flight aborted during takeoff in Atlanta
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Atlanta, GA
4 passengers injured as hundreds evacuate Delta flight by emergency slide in Atlanta
Hundreds of passengers were forced to evacuate a Delta airlines flight by emergency slides in snowy conditions Friday after an aborted takeoff in Atlanta — leading to at least four injuries and one hospitalization, authorities said.
Roughly 200 people hurriedly deplaned Minneapolis-bound flight 2668 on the tarmac at Atlanta International Airport at 9:10 a.m. due to an engine problem, airline officials said.
Footage posted on social media shows frazzled travelers, including children, running with their luggage from a Boeing 757-300 plane in several inches of snow, according to atlantanewsfirst.com.
Four passengers reported minor injuries and one was taken to the hospital, while the others were treated at the scene, the airport said.
Details about the engine problems were not immediately clear.
Delta apologized to passengers for the nerve-wracking experience.
“Delta’s flight crew followed established procedures to suspend the takeoff of flight…after an indication of an engine issue,” Delta said in a statement.
“Nothing is more important than the safety of our people and customers, and we apologize to our customers for their experience.”
Atlanta, GA
Houston faces Atlanta on 3-game win streak
Houston Rockets (25-12, second in the Western Conference) vs. Atlanta Hawks (19-19, ninth in the Eastern Conference)
Atlanta; Saturday, 3 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Houston seeks to continue its three-game win streak with a victory over Atlanta.
The Hawks have gone 10-7 at home. Atlanta ranks third in the Eastern Conference with 17.5 fast break points per game led by Jalen Johnson averaging 3.6.
The Rockets have gone 12-6 away from home. Houston averages 113.1 points and has outscored opponents by 6.0 points per game.
The Hawks’ 13.1 made 3-pointers per game this season are just 0.7 more made shots on average than the 12.4 per game the Rockets give up. The Hawks average 113.1 points per game, 6.7 fewer points than the 119.8 the Hawks give up to opponents.
TOP PERFORMERS: Johnson is averaging 19.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals for the Hawks.
Alperen Sengun is averaging 19.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and five assists for the Rockets.
LAST 10 GAMES: Hawks: 5-5, averaging 119.2 points, 41.2 rebounds, 30.5 assists, 11.2 steals and 5.3 blocks per game while shooting 47.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 121.5 points per game.
Rockets: 7-3, averaging 113.7 points, 48.0 rebounds, 19.9 assists, 8.9 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 108.9 points.
INJURIES: Hawks: Kobe Bufkin: out for season (shoulder), Larry Nance Jr.: out (hand), Jalen Johnson: day to day (shoulder), Cody Zeller: day to day (personal).
Rockets: Tari Eason: day to day (injury management), Jabari Smith Jr.: out (hand).
——
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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