South Florida Local News

Today in History: October 27, ‘Curse of the Bambino’ reversed

Mon, 10/27/2025 - 01:00

Today is Monday, Oct. 27, the 300th day of 2025. There are 65 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Oct. 27, 2004, the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series since 1918, sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in four games. The team’s 86-year championship drought was known as the “Curse of the Bambino.”

Also on this date:

In 1787, the first of the Federalist Papers, a series of essays calling for ratification of the United States Constitution, was published.

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In 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, a U-2 reconnaissance aircraft was shot down while flying over Cuba, killing the pilot, U.S. Air Force Maj. Rudolf Anderson Jr.

In 1995, a sniper killed one soldier and wounded 18 others during an outdoor physical training session at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. (Paratrooper William J. Kreutzer was convicted in the shootings and condemned to death; the sentence was later commuted to life in prison.)

In 1998, powerful Hurricane Mitch cut through the western Caribbean, pummeling coastal Honduras and Belize; the storm caused several thousand deaths in Central America before eventually making U.S. landfall in southwest Florida as a tropical storm.

In 2018, a gunman shot and killed 11 congregants and wounded six others at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue in the deadliest domestic attack on Jews in U.S. history; authorities said the suspect, Robert Bowers, raged against Jews during and after the rampage. (Bowers was convicted and sentenced to death in 2023.)

In 2019, Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died by detonating a suicide vest as U.S. special forces raided his compound in northwest Syria. He once commanded tens of thousands of fighters who had carved out a territorial caliphate for a time in parts of Syria and Iraq and carried out a wave of atrocities.

In 2023, Israel knocked out communications and created a near-blackout of information with stepped-up bombardment and artillery fire in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military said it was expanding ground operations in the territory ahead of a planned invasion as it sought to crush the ruling Hamas militant group after its Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attack and hostage-taking in southern Israel.

Today’s Birthdays:

Actor-comedian John Cleese is 86.
Author Maxine Hong Kingston is 85.
Country singer Lee Greenwood is 83.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is 80.
Author Fran Lebowitz is 75.
Actor-director Roberto Benigni is 73.
Golf Hall of Famer Patty Sheehan is 69.
Singer Simon Le Bon (Duran Duran) is 67.
Internet news editor Matt Drudge is 59.
Author Anthony Doerr is 52.
Violinist Vanessa-Mae is 47.
TV personality Kelly Osbourne is 41.

Winderman’s view: Jaquez again an example of efficient versatility in Heat victory

Sun, 10/26/2025 - 17:42

MIAMI – Observations and other notes of interest from Sunday night’s 115-107 victory over the New York Knicks:

– This Jaime Jaquez Jr. thing is real.

– Cast one moment Sunday at power forward.

– Another at point guard.

– Versatility on demand.

– And efficient versatility.

– He has made it very easy at the start of this season to forget who he is not.

– (Enough about the 3s.)

– (And enough about the comparisons to Jimmy Butler.)

– He has made it about what he stands as.

– An embraceable attacking presence.

– The very type of energy this roster and this system needs.

– Of all the factors in the Heat’s opening week, Jaquez might be the most encouraging.

– The Heat for the second consecutive game opened with a lineup of Kel’el Ware, Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins, Norman Powell and Davion Mitchell.

– With Miles McBride not with the team due to personal reasons, the Knicks opened with a lineup of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns and Ariel Hukporti.

– Inactive for Heat were Tyler Herro, Kasparas Jakucionis, Terry Rozier, Vlad Goldin and Myron Gardner.

– That saved the Heat one game apiece on their limit for two-way players Goldin and Gardner.

– Jahmir Young was the lone active Heat two-way player, with only 12 in uniform, three shy of the active-roster game limit.

– Jaquez was first off the Heat bench, entering midway through the first period for Ware.

– Dru Smith entered when Ware returned, after Mitchell was called for his second foul while defending Brunson.

– With Nikola Jovic third off the Heat bench.

– Followed by Simone Fontecchio for nine deep.

– Eventually the Heat made it 10 deep, when Pelle Larsson entered midway through the second period.

– Albeit only for a token appearance.

– That left Keshad Johnson and Young as the only available players out of the rotation mix.

– Adebayo in the second period connected on a 3-pointer in a career-best 15th consecutive game.

– Powell addressed the crowd just before tipoff, “It’s going to be a great year. Let’s get it.”

– Powell then converted the Heat’s first two 3-point attempts.

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– Introductions opened with a chant of “Let’s Go Knicks!” that then was drowned out by “Let’s Go Heat!”

– Heat coach Erik Spoelstra welcomed the rivalry when asked about being poised for another home opener.

– “For me,” he said, “I think for everybody in our locker room, it’s exciting and it’s even better that it’s the Knicks.”

– Of the Knicks, Spoelstra said of the night’s opponent and Brunson, “They’re a well-schooled team. They know how to win games. So even if they don’t necessarily play well, they know how to put themselves in position to win, and that’s because they have an elite decision-maker that can control the tenor of the game at any point.”

– Spoelstra was asked pregame about the Heat announcing Saturday that longtime public-address announcer Mike Baiamonte would be retiring at season’s end.

– “My kids and my household, when we’re trying to leave or go somewhere, ‘Dos Minutos!’ in our house,” Spoelstra said of one of Baiamonte’s signature calls. “Yeah, it’s awesome for him. I’m happy for him. Hopefully we can convince him otherwise. We’ve got a season to convince him to stay.”

– Spoelstra added, “But, yeah, what an iconic voice. It’s been a lot of fun over the years. He’s really a special guy and I’m glad we’ll be able to celebrate him for a whole season. Kind of sad about it, too.”

– Former Heat guard Goran Dragic was among those in attendance.

– Videos in the first quarter honored Heat owner Micky Arison for his Hall of Fame induction and Spoelstra for two weeks ago being named USA Basketball Olympic coach.

– Baiamonte was honored with a video in the second quarter.

Heat race to 115-107 victory over Knicks in home opener behind Powell’s 29

Sun, 10/26/2025 - 17:40

MIAMI — The brutal opening schedule for the Miami Heat?

So far more than under control.

First a competitive loss in Orlando. Then a record-setting blowout victory in Memphis. And then Sunday at Kaseya Center, a 115-107 smackdown of the rival New York Knicks in the home opener.

At 2-1 with the Charlotte Hornets up next at home on Tuesday night, the Heat continue to evolve with their running game even as they play in the absence of sidelined All-Star guard Tyler Herro.

“There was a competitive spirit from our guys,” coach Erik Spoelstra. “Guys are fulling committing to that, our collective competitive edge.”

With Norman Powell pacing that starters and Jaime Jaquez Jr. juicing the bench, the Heat held off a late Knicks rally and withstood 37 points from Knicks guard Jalen Brunson.

“It wasn’t a great game on our part,” Spoelstra said, “but that competitive spirit, you can do a lot of great things with that.”

Powell led the Heat with 29 points, with Heat center Bam Adebayo, on an uneven 5-of-15 shooting night, adding 19 points and 13 rebounds from the first unit.

Off the bench, there were 17 points from Jaquez and 14 from Simone Fontecchio.

“We like winning,” Jaquez said. “I think it’s that simple. The vibes are good.”

The Heat closed with a 31-10 edge in fastbreak points.

“We’ve got a great group,” Adebayo said. “We’ve all bought into the system.”

Five Degrees of Heat from Sunday’s night’s game:

1. Closing time: The Knicks led 27-24 at the end of the opening period, before the Heat moved to a 57-54 halftime lead and 88-81 advantage heading into the fourth.

The Heat then pushed their lead to 15 midway through the fourth quarter, with Powell from there converting a 3-pointer with 6:09 to play for a 105-87 Heat lead, forcing a Knicks timeout.

“We were able to make hustle plays, key plays to keep the momentum going in our direction,” Spoelstra said.

Still, there were a few moments that rekindled thoughts of last season’s failed finishes, with a driving Brunson layup with 1:32 to play drawing the Knicks within 110-105.

But that’s when Heat forward Andrew Wiggins stepped up with a dagger 3-pointer.

“It definitely was a way to settle the atmosphere,” Wiggins said.

2. Either or: The notion of a really big thing with the Heat lineup seemingly will largely remain illusory.

Yes, Adebayo and Kel’el Ware started together for the second consecutive game. But then it got interesting. Ware sat out only 90 seconds in the Heat’s first substitution, before returning in place of Adebayo. Adebayo then entered for Ware with 2:10 left in the first quarter.

The preference remained to play Jaquez or Nikola Jovic alongside one of the Heat big men.

The Heat trended smaller to the degree that 7-footer Vlad Goldin was inactive for the first time this season on his two-way contract.

Ware closed with five points and eight rebounds.

“I just like we kept fighting through, man,” Adebayo said. “That’s a fun Miami Heat win.

“The vibes are high right now.”

3. Plan C: If ever there was a game when Terry Rozier might have gotten a shot, this might have been it.

With Tyler Herro still working back from his September ankle surgery and Kasparas Jakucionis still sidelined by his preseason groin issue, Spoelstra had to get creative when Davion Mitchell was called for his third foul with 5:39 left in the second period.

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With Dru Smith seemingly on a minutes restriction in his return from December’s Achilles tear, Jaquez then was shifted to point guard.

“It’s whatever I can do to help the team win,” Jaquez said of his positional versatility.

Rozier remains on indefinite NBA leave following last week’s arrest in a federal gambling probe. He again formally was listed as “not with team.”

4. Norm!: Powell energized the Heat offense at the outset by converting the Heat’s first two 3-pointers.

He kept going from there with his attacking guile, working his way to the foul line and working the Knicks into foul trouble.

“He’s a crafty veteran skilled offensive talent,” Spoelstra said. “He just finds a way to get it in a bunch of random situations.”

At one point in the fourth quarter, Powell and Adebayo were a combined 20 of 20 from the line when the entire Knicks roster was 15 of 19.

Powell closed 7 of 15 from the field, including 3 of 6 on 3-pointers, and 12 of 12 from the line.

“This playing style plays directly to my strengths,” Powell said of playing at pace.

5. Dual threats: Jaquez and Fontecchio, in their own ways, provided a constant bench boost.

“It’s a really gritty group. It’s a competitive group,” Spoelstra said of his bench. “It’s really a fun group to watch.”

With Jaquez it was constant pressure with his cuts and attacks on the rim.

With Fontecchio, it was his 3-point threat and interior bulk.

“In that second unit,” Jaquez said, “I just try to be that guy.”

Chris Perkins: Dolphins’ run defense made plays, and good things followed

Sun, 10/26/2025 - 16:24

ATLANTA — If you knew a few days ago that one team, either the Miami Dolphins or Atlanta Falcons, would rush for 141 yards and that same team would hold its opponent to 45 yards rushing you’d have bet every dollar you had that it’d have been the Falcons producing the good statistics.

But it wasn’t the Falcons that did the damage Sunday, it was the Dolphins. Stopping the run was absolutely huge.

Stopping the run led to the Dolphins playing their best game of the season in a 34-10 blowout win over the Falcons.

“Monumental,” is how coach Mike McDaniel described that aspect of the game.

“Stopping the run not only changed the time of possession,” he said, “but it was also an assistant to the third-down execution where we could be a little bit aggressive.”

The Dolphins entered Sunday’s game with the NFL’s worst rushing defense, allowing 159.3 yards per game. Every opponent had rushed for at least 100 yards against the Dolphins, whose front seven had been having a disappointing season, to put it kindly.

Conventional wisdom said Falcons running back Bijan Robinson, who entered the game as the NFL’s sixth-leading rusher with 524 yards on 97 carries, was going to run all over the Dolphins. But it didn’t happen. Robinson ended with 25 yards on nine carries.

“Our game plan was just really focused around him and stopping him and kind of making their offense one dimensional,” rookie defensive tackle Kenneth Grant said.

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It seemed like the things defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver has been preaching all season —doing your job, trusting that your teammate will do his job, being sure to tackle instead of trying to punch the ball out — finally resonated.

Linebacker Jordyn Brooks (team-best 10 tackles, three tackles for losses) led a swarming attack that seemed to always have more than one man tackling Robinson.

“It allowed us to make them play one dimensional, and it allowed us to be great on third down by being great on first and second down,” he said. “And that’s how you play great defense.”

The Dolphins almost doubled up on the Falcons in time of possession, 37 minutes, 58 seconds to 22:02.

The Dolphins dominated on third downs, holding the Falcons to 2 of 11.

It’d be hard to underestimate the value of shutting down Atlanta’s running game.

“We just emphasized it all week, that was the thing — gang tackle, swarm to the ball,” outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips said. “I thought we executed that.”

Dolphins Deep Dive: ‘Visor Tua’, complementary football … breaking down Miami’s win over Falcons | VIDEO

Here’s the good news about what the Dolphins did on Sunday — it’s repeatable.

What the Dolphins showed Sunday is what I thought their front seven would show all season, which is to say they lived up to their potential. No one did anything special. No one had the best game of their career. There were no radical defensive formations. They simply did their jobs and trusted each other. The Dolphins did what they should have done in each of the previous seven games.

The momentum the Dolphins acquired Sunday by stopping the run eventually led to offensive success and special teams success.

And now they carry that confidence and momentum into Thursday’s game against Baltimore (2-5).

It should be a different Dolphins team that takes the field Thursday. No one is expecting another blowout victory. But the Dolphins, even with their 2-6 record, should feel good about themselves.

“If anything, it’s just the first one of many,” Phillips said of the win. “We’ve just got to keep rolling and still improve. It’s not like we can hang our hat like, ‘Oh, we did it.’ We still have a long way to go. But I think we’re getting there.”

McDaniel had the same sentiment. He’s encouraged, but not overly encouraged.

“But you can replicate the things for this team that produce results,” he said.

If the Dolphins can merely improve their run defense they might be able to do good things for the rest of the season. Stopping the run, as this game showed, seems to have widespread results.

Dave Hyde: What? How? Who was this Dolphins team that dominated Atlanta, 34-10?

Sun, 10/26/2025 - 16:04

Back from the dead?

Sentenced to life this season again?

Let’s start with something less sweeping than such big themes after the Miami Dolphins’ 34-10 win against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Let’s just say the following people won’t be publicly hung by their thumbs again on the day after:

Mike McDaniel, whose capri pants looked a little better Sunday.

Tua Tagovailoa, who had an efficient game for the first time this season after the worst of his career.

Anthony Weaver, whose defense was the star this game.

What did the Dolphins (2-6) serve at the pregame meal, a defibrillator?

This team that dominated Atlanta wasn’t the team that stumbled and bumbled in through their previous seven games, winning just once. The defense actually stopped the run Sunday. The offense actually ran the ball. This team actually was who they expected to be all year.

Has anyone been this surprised by so many people rising for their graves since the barn scene in Walking Dead?

Most points scored this season.

Least points given up.

Least rushing yards allowed.

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Most smiles afterward, too. It was just one game. Hey, the New York Jets even won for the first time this season Sunday. But the Dolphins’ idea is one game can become two Thursday night against the Baltimore Ravens. At the very least they saw what must be done and hasn’t been all year.

“We knew coming into the game if we could (not) win or didn’t feel good about our line of scrimmage play, we’d be facing the same result,” McDaniel said.

This has to be especially gratifying to Weaver, the defensive coordinator who has been on the defensive all season. The Dolphins entered Sunday as the league’s worst rushing defense and faced Atlanta’s fourth-ranked rushing offense.

Who saw Atlanta having 15 carries for 31 yards on Sunday? Or Atlanta running back Bijan Robinson, who entered the game averaging 5.2 yards a carry, have 2.8 yards a carry against the Dolphins?

Dolphins Deep Dive: ‘Visor Tua’, complementary football … breaking down Miami’s win over Falcons | VIDEO

This was a defense that turned around the careers of Kimani Vidal and Rico Dowdle in recent weeks. And it suddenly turned one of the league’s best backs into who Vidal used to be?

You can pick your star of the game. But linebacker Jordyn Brooks was the best player on the unit that set the tone of the day. His 10 tackles don’t tell the story, considering too many Dolphins tackles have been across state lines some plays.

Three of Brooks’ tackles were for minus yardage, including a sack. Three others came within 3 yards of the line of scrimmage. Do you see the impact from a defense needing just that?

Sure, Atlanta had backup quarterback Kirk Cousins out there. So what? The Dolphins defense has been carved up by backup running backs, receivers and offensive lines all year. Why not a quarterback, too?

“This whole week I think guys were upset, as we’ve been all season,” Brooks said “Using that anger for preparation, that’s something we did.”

That must go for the offensive line, too. The Dolphin not only ran the ball, but McDaniel had the strategy to do it. Reserve guard Daniel Brunskill was added to the line in the spot injured tight end Julian Hill would be used.

More beef. More power. More of big running back Ollie Gordon II to go with the speed of De’Von Achane, too. Achane gained 67 yards. Gordon had 46 yards. Jaylen Wright even got his first nine carries of the season in gaining 28 yards.

Brunskill wasn’t the only offensive wrinkle Sunday. Offensive coordinator Frank Smith moved from the press box to the field to talk to players during the game.

“Frank is a problem-solver, a solution man,” McDaniel said. “He invested in the players. They respond to him.”

Hey, bring our Chris Perkins down from the press box if it helps. What helped perhaps more is on their first touchdown drive of 13 plays in the first quarter, they had nine effective runs. Three were third- or fourth-down, short yardage runs by Gordon for the first down.

“He’s a big dawg,” center Aaron Brewer said of Gordon.

On this day, everyone qualified as a big dawg. Everything the Dolphins did worked — and some things they didn’t even need to do, like when Robinson’s knee knocked the ball out of his hands for a fumble when Atlanta looked to be going in for a score to cut the game to 17-10.

It was that kind of good day for the Dolphins. The question becomes if this flicked some switch in the Dolphins or they’ll just run this game as their full highlight reel for 2025.

Sunday changed the feel around this team for day. But the season is 2-6. The hole still looks far to deep to dig out of.

As much as whipping Atlanta felt good for the Dolphins, it also showed what could have been this season. That’s something to think about. But don’t think too long. Baltimore comes to town Thursday.

Dolphins Deep Dive: ‘Visor Tua’, complementary football … breaking down Miami’s win over Falcons | VIDEO

Sun, 10/26/2025 - 14:46

In this Dolphins Deep Dive video, the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Chris Perkins and David Furones discuss Miami’s upset of the Falcons in Atlanta and how what the Dolphins did Sunday to get the victory is sustainable and can lead to more wins.

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UCF basketball drops exhibition game against LSU

Sun, 10/26/2025 - 13:58

If UCF coach Johnny Dawkins wanted to get a better understanding of his team, he got a good glimpse over a two-game exhibition schedule that featured No. 6 Duke and LSU.

The Knights, which open the season against Hofstra on Nov. 3, held a double-digit lead in the first half only to watch it disappear in a 75-68 loss over visiting LSU on Sunday at Addition Financial Arena.

“I get a lot more information, and I get my players to start to adjust to the level that we are at,” Dawkins said of the purpose of the exhibition games. “Some of my players have never played at this level before, so there’s no way around it. The only way you can have them understand how intense it’s going to be, or how physical [it is], or what the pace is going to look like, is for them to face those types of opponents. The last two games were intentionally designed to do that.”

UCF is coming off a 96-71 exhibition loss at Duke on Tuesday.

After a slow start on Sunday, the Knights went on a 13-2 run midway through the first half, helping build a double-digit lead before LSU cut it to 36-29 at the half.

Poor shooting coming out of intermission helped the Tigers go on a 10-2 run, retaking the lead at 50-42. UCF put together a run of its own, tying the game at 58 with 7:46 left.

But once again, the Knights went ice cold from the floor, going scoreless over a six-minute stretch that allowed LSU to go on a 15-6 run to cruise to the win.

UCF guard Riley Kugel had 17 points in the first half before finishing with a game-high 21 points and 7 assists.

The Knights leaned heavily on their bench with George Beale Jr. and Devan Cambridge stepping up. Beale had 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-8 on 3-pointers, while Cambridge added 6 points and four rebounds.

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.

Things we learned in Miami Dolphins’ 34-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons

Sun, 10/26/2025 - 13:25

ATLANTA — The Miami Dolphins traveled to Atlanta to take on the injury-depleted Falcons on Sunday. and they came away with their second victory of the season, a 34-10, win.

The Dolphins (2-6) played their best, most complete game of the season in dispatching the Falcons and ending a three-game losing streak. Coach Mike McDaniel utilized some seldom-seen strategies such as using six offensive linemen and the run defense finally showed up and played up to its potential.

This was a timely victory too, considering the Dolphins host Baltimore on Thursday, meaning they could get two wins in a five-day stretch.

Here’s what we learned in the win over the Falcons:

Ross, lots of Dolphins fans in da house

Dolphins owner Steve Ross was spotted on the sideline before the game, as usual. At one point Ross chatted with a group that included Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino, team vice president Nat Moore and team president Tom Garfinkel. It might have been encouraging for Ross that there was a large, vocal Dolphins contingent at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. You saw it walking into the stadium and heard them early in the game. Twice in the first half there were chants of “Let’s Go Dol-phins!” The same chant went up again in the fourth quarter. — Chris Perkins

McDaniel rises above .500 mark

McDaniel improved his regular-season record to 30-29 (.508) with the victory, and his overall record, including his 0-2 mark in the playoffs, to 30-31 (.492). McDaniel is 11-31 (.355) on the road in the regular season and 11-33 (.333) on the road overall. Sunday’s win snapped a five-game road losing streak and interrupted a stretch of losing seven of the past eight road games.

Tua plays great game

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was 20 of 26 for 205 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions and a 138.6 passer rating. It was his best showing since a 34-15 win over New England last year when he was 29 of 40 for 317 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions and a 128.9 passer rating.

Run defense

The Dolphins run defense, led by linebacker Jordyn Brooks (10 tackles, three for loss), made its best showing of the season, holding the Falcons to just 31 yards yards rushing on 15 carries. The Dolphins entered Sunday’s game with the league’s worst run defense, allowing at 159.3 yards per game. Brooks almost recorded a safety in the second quarter when running back Tyler Allgeier barely got the ball out of the end zone on a run up the middle. The run defense swarmed Sunday the way many thought it would swarm all season. The Falcons had just eight carries for 11 yards in the first half. They only had 58 yards of offense in the first half.

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Zach Wilson gets backup QB designation, and plays

Veteran quarterback Zach Wilson earned the backup job over rookie Quinn Ewers, a reversal from last week, which was a reversal from training camp. Wilson got playing time Sunday because the Dolphins were ahead, 31-3, in the fourth quarter. McDaniel didn’t name his backup quarterback during the week, saying he wanted to see Friday’s practice.

Storm Duck finds a role . . . but then sustains injury

Second-year cornerback Storm Duck, a starter who sustained an ankle injury in the opener, entered the game in the second quarter in place of cornerback Jack Jones. Unfortunately he left the game in the fourth quarter on a cart with a knee injury. It was Duck’s first action since the opener against Indianapolis.

CB Kendall Sheffield gets playing time

Cornerback Kendall Sheffield, who was signed on Oct. 18 after being released in August, also found a role in the second quarter in the slot. At one point in training camp it appeared Sheffield might open the season as a starter but his inconsistent play eventually got him cut. Sheffield could be needed Thursday considering Duck’s knee injury and starting cornerback Rasul Douglas sustaining an injury in the fourth quarter.

Great first half for Dolphins

The Dolphins took a 17-3 first half lead due to playing perhaps their best half of the season. The Dolphins were 4 of 8 on third downs in the first half and they held the Falcons to 0 of 5. Atlanta had just two first downs in the first half. The Dolphins had a 169-58 yardage advantage and a significant time of possession edge — 19 minutes, 22 seconds compared to just 10:38 for the Falcons. The Dolphins scored on three of their five first-half possessions.

Dolphins win coin toss and elect to receive

The Dolphins won the pregame coin toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. Often the Dolphins elect to defer and receive the second half kickoff when they win the coin toss. Return man Dee Eskridge, who later left the game with a shoulder injury, returned the opening kickoff 32 yards to the 34-yard line. The Dolphins went three-and-out on the possession as Tagovailoa was sacked by an unblocked blitzer on third down. But it’s interesting that McDaniel has chosen tor receive the opening kickoff at least twice this season after winning the coin toss. McDaniel had been committed to receiving the second-half kickoff.

Daniel Brunskill gets playing time at sixth OL

Guard Daniel Brunskill was on the field as the sixth offensive lineman and tight end for plenty of running and passing plays. Brunskill, who previously got snaps at right guard against Buffalo, was meticulous about reporting as an eligible receiver to referees. The Dolphins were down to the bottom of the barrel for tight ends with Darren Waller (pectoral) on injured reserve and Julian Hill (ankle) sidelined. The Dolphins signed tight end Greg Dulcich from the practice squad and elevated tight end Hayden Rucci from the practice squad during the week to play alongside with Tanner Conner.

Dolphins Deep Dive: ‘Visor Tua’, complementary football … breaking down Miami’s win over Falcons | VIDEO

Chop, Chubb, Phillips and Judon rush QB together

Outside linebackers Bradley Chubb, Chop Robinson, Jaelan Phillips and Matthew Judon were on the field together twice Sunday, once in the first quarter and once in the third, both on third-and-3 situations and both resulted in incompletions.

In the first quarter the foursome produced an incomplete pass by quarterback Kirk Cousins as Phillips, who entered the game with 2.0 sacks, was hot in pursuit of Cousins on the play. In the third quarter Robinson dropped into coverage on the incomplete pass.

The Dolphins haven’t used the Chubb-Phillips-Robinson-Judon foursome together very often.

When was the last time a Dolphins team so dominated a competent team on the road?

Dominant Dolphins wins against teams on the road who are .500 or better have been RARE. There was a 31-3 pummeling of the 4-3 Chiefs at Arrowhead in 2011, but there were no turnovers in that one, and the yardage was fairly similar between the teams. No, this shocking hammering, I think, goes back to the Tony Sparano Special of 2008: The 38-13 Wildcat rout of Bill Belichick and the 2-0 Patriots in Foxborough. Every aspect fired on every cylinder. Incredible, incredible performance. — Steve Svekis

Brooks lays down his hammer

Jordyn Brooks came into Atlanta with three tackles for loss on the season. The tackle-machine linebacker matched that total in the game’s first 25 minutes, hauling down Bijan Robinson for a loss of a yard on a run, almost hauling down Tyler Allgeier for a safety on a negative-3-yard carry and then putting down Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins for a 5-yard sack.

Tua Tagovailoa refound his dome game

As spry, decisive and accurate as he has been this season, Tagovailoa got back on track with his indoor game in Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a 138.2 passer rating spectacular after a few off performances under the roof, primarily in Houston late last year and Indianapolis in this season’s opener. His first seven dome games, Tagovailoa had gone 144-219 for 1,726 yards with 12 touchdown passes and only two interceptions for a stellar 104.2 passer rating. Sunday’s game far exceeded even any of that brilliance.

The Dolphins offense got its wakeup call in Georgia

Miami almost doubled their first-half scoring output on the season, having come in to the Falcons game with 20 points in the first 30 minutes of their previous seven contests. Tagovailoa pushed the offense to 85% of that point total in Atlanta.

Kyle Pitts has been underwhelming in his career, but not against Miami

Pitts, the fourth pick of the 2021, has averaged 100 receiving yards a game against only one opponent, the Miami Dolphins, albeit in only two matchups, but still, that is amazing. He had a stunning 163-yard game at Hard Rock Stadium in 2021. Sunday was more muted but, still, after a 59-yard outing Sunday, he retained his triple-digit average against that solitary foe, at 111 yards per game.

On deck: Baltimore Ravens, Hard Rock Stadium, Thursday, 8:15 p.m.

The Dolphins get a Ravens team in desperation de facto playoff mode with them likely getting superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson back into the fold. Jackson has largely torched the Dolphins over his career with him piling up a passer rating of over 140 in three of the teams’ four games with him also running wild for 162 yards on 16 non-kneeldown rushes (10.1 yards per carry) as the Ravens’ offense piled up 146 points (48.7 points a game), but the one stark exception was the one time Jackson faced the Dolphins at night, a Thursday night 2022 game at Hard Rock Stadium. In that one, Miami won 22-10 on a night Jackson was saddled with a 73.6 passer rating and needed nine runs to churn out only 39 rushing yards. Incredibly, this was also the last time Tagovailoa ran for a touchdown in a game.

Hyde10: Defensive gem, Tua’s Visor Day, big-back Gordon — 10 thoughts on Dolphins’ upset of Falcons

Sun, 10/26/2025 - 13:08

Surprise, surprise, surprise.

There were things that made you rub your eyes all game Sunday in the Dolphins’ 34-10 win against Atlanta.

Here are 10 thoughts on their best day of a struggling season:

1. Everyone agreed Sunday was a lopsided matchup between the Dolphins’ league-worst rushing defense (159.3 yards allowed) against Atlanta’s fourth-ranked rushing offense (136.3 yards). It played out lopsided, too, in a manner no one expected. Atlanta had nine carries for 11 yards in the first half when the game was effectively settled. It had 31 yards on 15 carries for the game. Bijan Robinson was expected to have a big day, considering he entered averaging 5.4 yards a carry. He had nine carries for 28 yards, a 2.8-yard average Sunday. Anthony Weaver’s defense hasn’t stopped opposing backs or continuous questions this year, but it made a stand on Sunday.

2. Call it the Visor Game. Tua Tagovailoa played with a visor for the first time as a pro, probably because of a swollen eye that might’ve been caused by an illness the team reported him to have Sunday morning. After the worst game of his career in Cleveland, what could all this mean? Whatever, it worked. Tua had his best game in completing 20 of 26 passes for four touchowns. He didn’t start especially strong with three completions in seven passes, he completed 17 of his next 19. Of course, this was a game where he was immeasurably helped by ….

3. Quote of the day: “We can’t stop the run,” Atlanta coach Raheem Morris said to CBS at halftime. Who expected to hear that? The Dolphins entered Sunday with the 28th-ranked rushing attack. McDaniel often sets the running game on the side of the road at games. Not Sunday. McDaniel kept running the ball to set the tone as the Dolphins finished with 141 rushing yards on 37 carries. On their first touchdown drive that went 13 plays and 79 yards, they had nine rushes and four passes. They had 66 yards on 14 carries (4.1 a carry) at half that led Morris to say they had to stop the run. It wasn’t all De’Von Achane, either, though he had 18 carries for 67 yards. Jaylen Wright, who didn’t have a carry this year, had nine for 28 yards Sunday. And …

4. A big, power back? How long have the Dolphins needed one? Well, Ollie Gordon provided that idea on Sunday with a 10-carry, 46-yard day. On that opening touchdown drive, he converted three short-yardage first downs — a third-and-2, third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 (the drive ended with Tua’s 3-yard pass to Achane for a 7-0 lead). Late in the first half, on third-and-3, Gordon bounced from the middle to run for 11 yards to keep alive a field goal drive. He was a power back in an offense that’s needed one.

5. Atlanta started quarterback Kirk Cousins in place of Michael Penix (knee), but let’s not overdo that. The Dolphins have faced backup running backs, tackles, receivers — everything this year and they’ve had big days. Why not Cousins? He completed 21 of 31 passes for 173 yards, but that doesn’t tell how dominant the Dolphins were. Atlanta didn’t score its touchdown until 5:01 left in the game. It had 11 first downs (to the Dolphins’ 24) and was 2 of 11 on third-down conversions (the Dolphins were 6 of 13).

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6. Player of the game: Linebacker Jordyn Brooks. Dolphins linebackers have made a lot of tackles this season, but too many are after good gains. Here’s where Brooks’ six tackles of the first half were made in relation to the line of scrimmage: minus-1 yard, 2 yards, minus-3 yards, 3 yards, 4 yards and a minus-5 yard sack. Want to know how Atlanta had three points and was 0 for 5 on third downs at half? Brooks finished with 10 tacles.

7. Stat of game: Their 17 first-half points were three shy of the 20 first-half points they had totaled in the first six games.

8. “No. 64 reports as eligible,” was a regular line from the referee before plays. One question was how the Dolphins would replace injured tight end Julian Hill’s blocking (another was how they’d replace Darren Waller’s receiving). To replace Hill, they brought guard Daniel Brunskill in a sixth offensive linemen. That gave more power to the running game.

9. Quick Hits:

For the second straight game, a backup quarterback finished for the Dolphins. It was Zach Wilson in a blowout win this time, though.

After not playing a snap last week, rookie Dante Trader broke up what would’ve been a nice Atlanta completion in third quarter.

Someone cue the Kevin Harlan factor, considering the CBS announcer’s link to good times. But even he didn’t expect this. “What is going on here?” he said as Waddle ran into the end zone with a third-quarter TD to make it 24-3.

Robinson’s knee caused a fumble without any Dolphins touching him, as if to tell what kind of a day it was for both teams.

10. Next week: Baltimore at Dolphins. The dreaded short week for a Thursday night game at Hard Rock Stadium. It’s not as dreaded as it once was as Baltimore entered Sunday’s game against Chicago at 1-5. Lamar Jackson didn’t start Sunday, but was limited in practice last week suggesting he’d be ready for Thursday after missing a few weeks with injury. The real problem for Baltimore is its 32nd-ranked defense.

Dolphins Deep Dive: ‘Visor Tua’, complementary football … breaking down Miami’s win over Falcons | VIDEO

Instant Analysis: Miami Dolphins 34, Atlanta Falcons 10

Sun, 10/26/2025 - 12:55

Quick thoughts from South Florida Sun Sentinel staffers on the Dolphins’ stunning victory over the Falcons on Sunday in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta as Miami improves to 2-6 on the season:

Dave Hyde, Columnist

Where did that team come from? Most points this year. Least points given up. Let’s not go as far as to say the season is saved, but for one Sunday it was good to watch the Dolphins look like the team everyone hoped they could be at their best this year.

Chris Perkins, Dolphins Columnist

The Dolphins ended a three-game losing streak and a five-game road losing streak by playing their most complete game of the season. The much-maligned run defense was the star of the show but let’s give credit to the offense and special teams for playing clean games. The Dolphins weren’t happy to be 2-6 last year but they can feel a little better about being 2-6 at this moment.

David Furones, Dolphins Writer

These Dolphins, man. Just when you think they’re done, they look like world beaters. A landslide victory in Atlanta is good to hold people over for a week — or, in this case, a few days before Thursday night against the Ravens. The coming slate will tell us if this is a team that can seriously build toward a season turnaround or if this was a one-off occurrence. Let Tua play every game with his visor, and put Kevin Harlan on every Dolphins game!

Steve Svekis, Assistant Sports Editor

Maybe Tua Tagovailoa may never toss that visor. In his most decisive start-to-finish game in since 2023, the Dolphins quarterback saw everything perfectly and surgically annihilated the Falcons. Having that performance complemented by Jordyn Brooks and a swarming defense made the Dolphins look like a potentially problematic spoiler in the season’s second half.

Keven Lerner, Assistant Sports Editor

Where has this Tua Tagovailoa been? This Dolphins defense? That was as decisive a Dolphins dispatch of a .500 or better team on the road likely since the 38-13 Wildcat domination of the Patriots … 17 years ago. An incredibly incongruous performance compared with Weeks 1-7.

Dolphins Deep Dive: ‘Visor Tua’, complementary football … breaking down Miami’s win over Falcons | VIDEO

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Instant Analysis: Miami Dolphins 34, Atlanta Falcons 10