With Starters Resting, Rookies Pave The Way For Miami To Defeat Atlanta 20-13

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.

“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.

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.

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.