MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Dolphins closed out the preseason with a 17-12 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at Hard Rock Stadium, a game that showcased a stingy defense but an offense that repeatedly stalled inside the red zone.
Miami forced four turnovers — two fumble recoveries and an interception — yet failed to reach the end zone all night, settling for three Riley Patterson field goals of 46, 45 and 37 yards. Atlanta struck first when quarterback Tua Tagovailoa connected with tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. for 37 yards to set up running back Brian Robinson Jr. for a touchdown from the 13-yard line, making it 7-3.
Inside linebacker Willie Gay Jr. recovered a fumbled snap on Atlanta’s next possession, giving Miami the ball at the Falcons’ 42-yard line, but the Dolphins came away empty after a blocked 56-yard field goal attempt. Jackson Woodard, another inside linebacker, recovered a Robinson Jr. fumble later in the first quarter to give Miami another short-field opportunity that also went nowhere.
Atlanta quarterback Cooper Rush extended the lead to 14-3 with a 12-play drive capped by a touchdown pass to tight end Jack Velling. Wide receiver Jalen Reagor answered with a 46-yard kick return, and quarterback Cam Miller found wideout Terrace Marshall Jr. for 16 yards, but the drive stalled and Patterson’s 45-yard field goal left Miami trailing 17-6 at halftime.
The second half belonged largely to quarterback Mark Gronowski, who finished 4-of-8 for 97 passing yards. Edge Seth Coleman-Lyles and defensive lineman Matthew Butler split a sack for a loss of 6 yards to open the third quarter, and Gronowski then led a drive featuring back-to-back completions of 33 yards to Marshall Jr. and 19 yards to wide receiver Jalen Tolbert. Miami pushed to Atlanta’s 1-yard line but could not punch it in, settling for Patterson’s third field goal to cut the deficit to 17-9.
Gronowski drove the Dolphins from their own 28 to Atlanta’s 6-yard line on the next possession, picking up five first downs and 28 rushing yards along the way, but a fumbled snap recovered by Atlanta ended the threat. Safety Miles Battle intercepted a pass later in the fourth quarter, setting up Patterson’s 37-yard field goal from Atlanta’s 19 to make it 17-12, but Miami ran out of time.
Running back Carlos Washington Jr. led the ground game with 13 carries for 34 yards, while Marshall Jr. paced the receivers with 49 yards on two receptions. Inside linebacker Tyrel Dodson led the defense with six total tackles, three solo, and Coleman-Lyles added two quarterback hits.
The Dolphins now turn their attention to the regular-season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Sept. 13 at 4:25 p.m. in Allegiant Stadium.