The Miami Dolphins demonstrated their youth on Friday night, winning 20-13 against the Atlanta Falcons at Hard Rock Stadium.
“It was a good feeling. Every game you want to see your team finish,” said Miami coach Mike McDaniel after the game. “We managed to win with really great effort. It was nice to see our team win in front of the home fans.”
It was a night that was all about the rookies. Miami gave its regular players a break and played mainly draft picks and undrafted free agents.
Fourth-round draft pick Jaylen Wright led the ground attack with 55 yards on 10 carries. He also scored the game-winning touchdown on a six-yard run in the second quarter. Wright ran fast and confidently, stiff-arming potential tacklers and looking very good in his limited work.
“It was a good feeling. 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 nerves and excitement today. It just shows how much I love the game. It’s nice to get the first preseason game behind me.”
McDaniel liked what he saw from Wright.
“It was his first appearance. I wanted to see a confident runner,” McDaniel said. “I wanted him to be confident after seeing something he didn’t like. It was a good first appearance for him and he finished strong.”
Chris Brooks played the second half and had 12 runs for 40 yards.
Patrick Paul, selected in the second round of the draft, started at left tackle and played the majority of the game. Paul played very well and gave the crowd a glimpse of the future.
The quarterback play was dismal, split evenly between Skylar Thompson, who started the game, and Mike White. The two finished the game with a combined stat line of 12 of 33 for 121 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Despite the interception, Thompson fared better than White, as he also threw the only touchdown pass of the night. Neither quarterback could sustain a drive. Round one went to Thompson, but the play was so bad that it’s hard to say who was the clear winner.
Tanner Conner was the game’s leading receiver with 70 yards on four catches. He had the longest play of the night, a 43-yard catch-and-run. He made another 21-yard catch later in the game, but was injured.
The only touchdown came from Thompson, who threw a swing pass to Jeff Wilson, Jr., who scored the touchdown. Wilson caught the ball just short of the end zone, but stretched out and ran the football over the pylon before being tackled.
Rookie wide receiver Malik Washington had an outstanding game. He also played well on special teams, returning punts and kickoffs while Braxton Berrios sat on the bench and was out of uniform. Washington made an end-around and ran 21 yards before being caught.
Kicker Jason Sanders picked up where he left off last season, making two field goals from three attempts, and his 58-yard run in the first quarter gave Miami an early 3-0 lead.
On defense, rookie draft pick Patrick McMorris and non-drafted free agent Storm Duck played outstanding games.
Duck was great on Atlanta’s final drive, intercepting two passes before the Falcons failed on fourth down. Miami won when a pass from Tanner Rourke to OJ Hiliare was ruled incomplete because the receiver couldn’t get both feet in the field of play. Isaiah Johnson covered closely.
Miami did not come out of the game unscathed, as they were plagued by injury misfortune. Dolphins players who suffered injuries Friday night included 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 center Aaron Brewer, who injured his hand during practice this week, would be there weekly after the game.
