The Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons will battle in the third week of the preseason on Saturday at Sun Life Stadium.
The Dolphins are 0-2 in the preseason thus far, but this is a meaningless number. When Miami's starters have been on the field, it has been strong on both sides of the ball.
The third game of the exhibition schedule is the one that features the most playing time from starters traditionally. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill and most of the starters are expected to play the entire first half and possibly more.
Tannehill has enjoyed a fine preseason in his limited time on the field. The QB has led productive and consistent drives which has boosted optimism around the Dolphins. If Miami is going to end its long playoff drought, a terrific season from their QB will need to be at the forefront.
Working the entire first half should allow Tannehill and his receivers to find an even better rhythm heading into the regular season. When Tannehill exits, its possible some of the starting offense stays on the field to work with the backup QBs a little bit. Thus far, the backups have mostly thrown to second-team players.
Perhaps the biggest battle to watch is the one between Walt Aikens and Michael Thomas for the free safety job. Both players enter the contest with an opportunity to win the starting gig, and this one could ultimately decide the winner.
Saturday's game will be the first action at the recently renovated home field of the Dolphins and will start at 7:00 p.m.
