The Atlanta Falcons (2-3) will travel to Miami this weekend with a chance to improve to .500 with a road victory over the Dolphins (1-5) this Sunday.
After struggling severely in the early parts of the season, the Falcons' offensive line has shown steady improvement over the past few weeks and as a result the offense has been more consistent. Matt Ryan (342 yds, 2TDs vs. Jets) has been able to operate without being under constant pressure.
One of the main reasons for the improvement of the offensive line has been the steady progress of rookie OG Jalen Mayfield.
After struggling to adjust to the speed of the NFL game in the early weeks of the season, the third-round pick from Michigan has cut down on his penalties (5 total) and sacks allowed (4 total) as the Falcons offense has averaged 28.5 points per game over the past two contests.
Listen to Atlanta sports talk now on Audacy and shop the latest Falcons team gear
When NFL Network’s Sam Wyche joined Dukes and Bell earlier this week, he had plenty of good things to say about the Falcons rookie.
“I think Jalen Mayfield is one of the better stories that has come along,” Wyche began his evaluation of Mayfield.
“I saw some plays in that Jets game where he was manhandling people,” said Wyche when pointing out some of Mayfield’s positives in recent games.
Wyche continued to comment on the Falcons OL by saying, “It’s important for those guys to continue to play together and to get familiar.”
As a unit the Falcons’ OL did not allow a sack versus a Jets’ defense that Mike Bell mentioned, “We were so afraid of after what they did to the Titans.”
Now the Falcons offensive unit will face a Miami defense (417 ypg) that ranks in the bottom three of the NFL overall.
.500 here we come.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Hard Rock Stadium.