When the Falcons take on the Dolphins Thursday night, they'll enter the contest with some clear goals in mind. One of their biggest tasks, according to head coach Dan Quinn, is to improve in the red zone.
With many starters expected to play the entire first half against Miami, efficient work inside the 20-yard line can breed a lot of confidence heading into the regular season. Through two exhibition games, Atlanta's offense has scored touchdowns on three of six trips inside the red zone – once in Cleveland, twice versus Washington.
"I want that number to be up," Quinn said Tuesday. "Defensively, we've let them down there three times, and they've scored twice. So that's an area of emphasis heading into the game: Can we play better red zone ball? I was pleased with the effort today. I thought guys were sharp; the speed that we played with was on point.
"Offensively, I know we thought we could have had at least (one more score). We ended up attempting a field goal on one. And defensively, we had a good fourth down stop last week, but in the previous game, we had some trips down there (when) we didn't. So that part of our game, we've got to get tightened up."
