The Colts will have a much tougher time dealing with the Dolphins in Miami than they did last week with the Jags at home.  That means they must protect the football.  The Colts need more out of the running game from Joseph Addai and Donald Brown against a Dolphins’ D that held Michael Turner and the Falcons to 68 yards rushing and 2.5 yards per carry.  If the Colts can’t run the ball the Dolphins will be sending a lot of blitzers at Peyton Manning.  The Fins will no doubt be doubling Reggie Wayne the whole game but that doesn’t mean the Colts won’t be throwing to him.  In any event, Tony Gonzalez had a huge game against the Dolphins last week so look for Dallas Clark to be more heavily involved in the offense this week.

The Dolphins like to run the ball and throw short passes.  They need Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams to have big games against the Colts’ D which allowed 114 yards rushing and 4.4 yards per carry.  If the Dolphins have success running the ball then look for Chad Pennington to attack them deep with some play action passing.  Pennington will stay with the short passing game if the Dolphins are not running the ball well. 

PREDICTION:  DOLPHINS 21, COLTS 20

The Dolphins played right into the Falcons hands last week and it cost them in the end.  With the Colts on deck the Dolphins will need to run the ball getting it into the hands of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams.  Brown only carried the ball 10 times for 43 yards (4.3 ypc) and he caught the ball 3 times for 10 yards (3.3 avg).  He needs to touch the ball at least 20 times a game if the Dolphins are going to win this season like last year.  Ricky Williams carried the ball 7 times for 39 yards (5.6 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 19 yards (9.5 avg) with a TD.  Brown and Williams are the best two players on the offense and it’s dumb not to put the ball in their hands, period!

The Dolphins really looked flat on offense in this game and it cost them any chance to really compete with the Falcons.  Chad Pennington did not take many chances down the field in this game as he completed 21 of 29 passes for 176 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception.  The TD pass was during garbage time late in the 4th quarter.  The Fins couldn’t get the running game going either as they were playing from behind this whole game.  Ronnie Brown carried the ball 10 times for 43 yards (4.3 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 10 yards.  Rickey Williams was a tad better than Brown carrying the ball 7 times for 39 yards (5.6 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 19 yards with 1 TD.  WR Devone Bess led the way in the passing game for the Dolphins in this game finishing with 7 catches for 57 yards (8.1 avg) which shows just how short the Dolphins were keeping the pass routes.  TE Anthony Fasano played a game that would get many players cut as he caught 2 passes for 10 yards and lost two fumbles.  The Dolphins could only muster 259 total yards in this game (96 rushing, 163 passing) and that’s just not good enough to win football games!

The defense actually played well (at least against the run) which allowed the Fins to stay somewhat close in this game.  Safties Gibril Wilson (9 tackles) and Yeremiah Bell (8 tackles) led the way for the Dolphins D in this game.  The Falcons only finished with 281 total yards on offense in this game (68 rushing, 213 passing) but it was enough to win.  The Dolphins are now 0-1 on the season.

This should be a excellent football game tomorrow afternoon.  The Dolphins will likely try to pound the football on the ground with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams as they will try to control the clock.  That’s not a bad idea as the Falcons’ allowed 4.9 yards per carry last season.  Rookie DT Peria Jerry and 2nd year inside linebacker Curtis Lofton will be two of the players the Dolphins try to attack.  If the Dolphins get the running game going then Chad Pennington will work his play action magic attempting to get the ball downfield to Ted Ginn and rookie WR Brian Hartline.  The Dolphins must protect the football in this game because they can’t afford to get behind, period!

The Falcons will likely be more balanced than the Dolphins on offense.  That means that OLBs Jason Taylor and Joey Porter must get some heat on QB Matt Ryan.  The Fins still have to be careful with that as Tony Gonzalez could burn them on some short stuff in this game.  Safeties Yeremiah Bell and Gibril Wilson of the Fins’ are hard hitters but they could have issues in dealing with Gonzalez.  RB Michael Turner will still be the focal point of the Falcons’ offense in this game so the Dolphins better tighten up the chinstraps.  Matt Ryan will also take a few shots deep to Roddy White so the Dolphins CBs could have long days.

PREDICTION:  ATLANTA FALCONS 27, MIAMI DOLPHINS 20

The Dolphins used a balanced offense and stout defense to beat the Saints last night.  Chad Pennington started the game and he completed 8 of 11 passes for 57 yards.  Chad Henne was also effective completing 11 of 16 passes for 89 yards.  Pat White finished up this game completing 2 of 6 passes for 13 yards.  Patrick Cobbs led the way on the ground for the Dolphins in this game as he carried the ball 9 times for 54 yards (6.0 avg) with a TD.  WR Devone Bess caught 5 passes for 39 yards (7.8 avg) in this game to lead the Fins.  The Dolphins finished up with 285 total yards in this game (139 rushing, 146 passing).

Linebackers William Kershaw (7 tackles, sack) and Charlie Anderson (4 tackles, 2 sacks) led the way for the Fins’ on D last night.  The Saints finished up with 234 total yards in this game (89 rushing, 145 passing).  The Dolphins were a perfect 4-0 in the pre-season.