The Falcons’ run defense, which was giving up 93 yards per game and ranked 11th in the league, was shredded by the Dolphins Sunday.
The Falcons gave up a season-high 138 yards rushing as Miami averaged 4.5 yards per carry and ran some valuable time off the clock in the second half.
Dolphins running backs Jay Ajayi and Damien Williams had some success running to the weak side of an unbalanced line.
Ajayi rushed 26 times for 130 yards, becoming the first running back to rush for more than 100 yards against the Falcons this season. Williams rushed four times for nine yards. Quarterback Jay Cutler had one carry for minus-1 yard.
“We definitely have to look at the film,” defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said. “That’s definitely something that we have to address. That was definitely something under our standard, the way we played the run as a whole. We just have to go back to the drawing board.”
The Falcons gave up 125 yards rushing against the Bears. They gave up 117 against the Bills, 71 to the Lions and 59 to the Packers. Buffalo’s LeSean McCoy rushed 20 times for 76 yards against the Falcons as the previous individual high this season.
The unit did a better job with missed tackles than it had this season. However, defensive end Brooks Reed lost containment early when Ajayi scooted outside for an 18-yard gain, the Dolphins’ longest run of the game.
“They executed really well,” Falcons free safety Ricardo Allen said. “They have a strong offensive line and we knew that for sure.”
The Falcons believe they can play the run much better.
“We just have to tackle,” Allen said. “You have to get into your spot and make your plays. We are a defense that has gap for gap. You’ve got to sit in your gap and make your plays when it comes to you.”
Middle linebacker Deion Jones led the Falcons with 11 tackles. Strong safety Keanu Neal had eight tackles.
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