Falcon Report

'They Don't Score!' Falcons Red Zone Mindset Leads to Win vs. Dolphins

The Atlanta Falcons held the fort down in the red zone in their 19-3 win against the Miami Dolphins.

Jeremy Brener

In this story:

The Atlanta Falcons only gave up three points in their win against the Miami Dolphins on Friday night, but it could have been a lot more if the defense didn't come in clutch.

During the first half, the Falcons stopped the Dolphins three times in the red zone ... the first coming on Miami's opening drive where rookie Demarcco Hellams came away with an interception in the end zone.

“It doesn’t matter how close they get into the end zone, there are no points scored until you get across that line," Hellams said. "So we just had that mindset. It doesn’t matter how they got down here, let’s just make sure that they don’t score.”

But it didn't stop there. The Falcons found themselves again in the red zone twice more in the first half, and the aggressive Dolphins were willing to go for the first down on fourth and short. But each time, the Falcons came away with a stop.

“We preach being salty in the red zone, and that’s going to help us win games in the regular season and hopefully in the postseason,” linebacker Nate Landman said.

The defense is expected to be better this year under new coordinator Ryan Nielsen and several free agent signings including Jessie Bates, Kaden Elliss, Calais Campbell and David Onyemata.

But it will take more than those four veterans to improve the defense. Several young players, like second-year linebacker Arnold Ebiketie, will have to step up. Luckily for the Falcons, it appears the young players are responding well to Nielsen's system.

“Coach Ryan (Nielsen) talked about it. Pretty much, all the coaches talk about it, just next play," Ebiketie said. "No matter what happened this play, at least give us another opportunity to defend the end zone.”

Defending the end zone they did, and if the Falcons can keep teams out of the end zone, it will make the offense's time a lot easier and lead to more Atlanta wins.

You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Falcons? Click Here.

Follow Falcon Report on Twitter.

Want even more Atlanta Falcons news? Check out the SI.com team page here

Published
Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

Home/News