Atlanta Falcons: Smith is 3-1 in pivotal 3rd games

Falcons head coach Mike Smith (left) and defensive coordinator Mike Nolan (right) will want to see better third down defense against the Dolphins after Cincinnati converted on 8 of 14 (54 percent) on Thursday. Here they are keeping a close eye on the cornerbacks during drills in Flowery Branch on Saturday, July 28, 2012. CURTIS COMPTON / CCOMPTON@AJC.COM

The Falcons will address their pivotal third exhibition game against the Miami Dolphins with a sense of urgency.

They will game-plan and use it as a dress rehearsal for the regular-season opener — at Kansas City on Sept. 9 — when they travel to face Miami at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Sun Life Stadium.

The Falcons are 6-12 in exhibition games under fifth-year coach Mike Smith and have dropped seven straight. However, in the important third-games, the Falcons will enter the Miami game 3-1 under Smith.

Pittsburgh beat them 34-16 last season after they posted victories over Miami (16-6) in 2010, San Diego (27-24) in 2009 and Tennessee (17-3) in 2008.

“It will give us an opportunity, the first time as a new staff, offensively and defensively of putting a game plan in,” Smith said.

He is not too concerned with Falcons seven-game losing streak in the exhibition season dating back to the that 16-6 win over the Dolphins on Aug. 27, 2010.

“Every time that we go out, we want to win football games,” Smith said. “There is no doubt about that. But our number one goal in the preseason is to get to the first [regular-season] game as healthy as possible. We’re going to out there and play our tails off to try to win the ball game, but first and foremost we are looking at trying to install our scheme and keep our players healthy. …When we are out there playing for 60 minutes, we are trying to win that dag game.”

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