The first-team offense and defense shined, but the reserves could not hold on as the Dolphins defeated the Falcons 28-23 at the Georgia Dome on Friday night. It was the exhibition opener for both teams.
What we learned
1. Rookie wide receiver Julio Jones can make the explosive plays the Falcons covet. Matt Ryan threw four passes his way, and Jones caught two for 43 yards. He also gained 12 yards on a reverse. “The condensed game plan that we had, he was on top of that and didn’t make any mental errors,” Ryan said.
2. The first-team defense is tenacious. Defensive end John Abraham had an interception while dropping into coverage. The unit held on downs, and cornerback Brent Grimes had an interception. It was a quick night’s work for the defense. Defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder flashed a new starting linebacker trio of Stephen Nicholas, Curtis Lofton and Sean Weatherspoon. Veteran Mike Peterson was shifted into the top reserve rule. The backup defensive backs gave up two touchdown passes of 44 and 28 yards.
3. The special teams, with very limited practice time because of the new rules, had a rough outing. Punter Matt Bosher, a sixth-round draft pick, didn’t boom any kickoffs into the end zone in the first half, and he hit a 37-yard punt before settling down. He also handled the placements for field-goal kicker Matt Bryant. The punt-coverage unit also allowed Miami’s Phillip Livas a 75-yard touchdown return.
Injury report
Quarterback John Parker Wilson left the field after taking a hard hit in the third quarter. Defensive tackle Trey Lewis left the field with his right armed pinned to his body. “We’ll have a lot more information on the status of all of our guys — it was a physical football game — on Sunday morning,” coach Mike Smith said.
The numbers game
55
Julio Jones gained 55 yards on two catches and one carry. He turned a short pass on a drag route across the field into a 21-yard gain. Later, Ryan hit Jones on a deep route over the middle for a 22-yard gain and on the following play Jones gained 12 yards on a reverse.
Sound bite
“There are a lot of things that we need to fix.”
Coach Mike Smith on the Falcons’ loss to the Dolphins
Loose ends
Defensive end Ray Edwards, the team’s prized free-agent signee, did not play against the Dolphins. He is recovering from knee surgery and has not entered any contact drills yet. ... Since 2008, Michael Turner has 39 rushing touchdowns, which ranks second in the NFL behind Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson’s 40. ... The Falcons scored 13 points off three turnovers. Interceptions by Abraham, Grimes and Rafael Bush were turned into one touchdown and two field goals.
What’s next
Atlanta (0-1) plays Jacksonville (0-1) at 8 p.m. Friday at EverBank Field. The Jaguars were pummeled 47-12 by the Patriots on Thursday in their exhibition opener.
