Day 551, Quasi-Quarantine: Dolphins-Patriots Game 1 Review

 

Against all odds, Miami pulled out a minor miracle in Foxboro, with Xavien Howard ripping out a football and pouncing on it in the final minutes to secure a one-point victory for the Dolphins (cue "X" asking for a raise tomorrow). As usual, New England was on the right end of a couple of massively blown calls, but with all of the other division opponents losing, Miami still sits alone atop the AFC East after Week 1.

All that said, obviously there is a lot to clean up for the 'Fins. Miami was outgained by 134 yards, had 8 fewer first downs, was whipped in time of possession (36:43-23:17), and had 18 fewer plays (70-52). The offense was very vanilla and the defense played more zone and had more three-man rushes than I'd prefer to see against a rookie quarterback. Tua Tagovailoa was careless with the ball on a couple of occasions and we allowed the Cheatriots to take away a key offensive weapon in tight end Mike Gesicki. The offensive line struggled to open any holes in the running game, and the Dolphins were only able to sack Mac Jones a single time.

But again: 1-0 with a golden division road win. Now that is the way to start the season.

Offense

• Miami managed just 259 total yards on offense and converted just four of 11 third-down opportunities. Considering the offensive performance, the Dolphins were fortunate to win.
• Tua had a couple of just unforgiveable throws, and nearly (literally) threw the game away. He hit on 16 of 27 passes, but for just 202 yards and a score, with an interception. He added a yard and a score on four carries, but has to tuck and run a bit more after eluding the rush. Backup Jacoby Brissett came in to convert a pair of crucial third-and-short situations, picking up four yards on two carries. Brissett was money in short-yardage packages in Indy, and it was good to see the Miami offensive coaching staff open to installing a similar package here.
• Myles Gaskin picked up where he left off late last year, with 76 total yards on 14 touches. He had a 15-yard burst among his nine carries for 49 yards, and Malcolm Brown was strong at the end when he was needed most, recording 16 yards and a couple of first downs on five carries, including a couple of Wildcat looks. Savon Ahmed was arguably underutilized, with five touches for 24 yards. Overall, the running backs struggled to find a rhythm, with just 74 rushing yards on the game.
• DeVante Parker was the story at wideout, with four receptions for 81 yards, including a customary incredible sideline grab and two strong catch-and-runs off quick slants among his seven targets. Rookie Jaylen Waddle had four grabs on six targets, good for 61 yards and his first career touchdowns, which was slightly offset by a key drop on a crucial third-down play. Albert Wilson was targeted twice -- including once where he was open for a score, but Tua threw a second too late -- but that was it for the receiver group.
• As quiet as the wideouts were, the tight ends were somehow even more silent. G-Sick was targeted twice, but held without a catch, while Durham Smythe had an early catch for nine yards and wasn't heard from again. COVID patient/denier Adam Shaheen was unavailable and would be on the waiver wire if I had my way.
• The offensive line surrendered a pair of sacks, but Tua was under pressure on a number of other plays. Miami averaged just 3.2 yards on the ground as well, but overall, a makeshift front held up relatively well. Rookie Liam Eichenberg was thrown into the fire at left tackle and survived despite a pair of holding flags. Jesse Davis had a false start and looked lost (along with center Michael Dieter) on a third-down screen play to Ahmed that looked promising initially. Guard Solomon Kindley was also whistled for an illegal man downfield call. 

Defense

• The epitome of a bend-but-don't-break approach, Miami surrendered 393 yards, allowed the Patriots to convert 11 of 16 third downs, and forced only two New England punts -- but gave up just 16 points, holding the home team to three field goals and an iffy touchdown. The Dolphins won the turnover battle, 2-1, and benefited from the Cheatriots shockingly getting whistled for an uncharacteristic eight penalties for 84 yards.
• Emmanuel Ogbah looked to be in midseason form, registering three solo tackles, notching one stop for a loss, knocking down a pass, and forcing a couple of holding calls. Andrew Van Ginkel was active as usual, contributing five tackles, one quarterback hit, and a couple of near misses on pressures. On the interior, Zach Seiler stood out again, with three solos, a tackle for loss, and a big fumble recovery. John Jenkins pitched in with four solo tackles, Adam Butler had two stops against his former team, and Christian Wilkins had three tackles, a quarterback hit, and good penetration on a couple of short-yardage plays. This unit severely missed Raekwon Davis after he went down with injury early in the contest.
• New England put a lot of pressure on the linebacking corps with a run-heavy attack that featured a slew of underneath passes. Jerome Baker had a dozen tackles to lead the way, but was victimized in pass coverage a couple of times. Sam Eguavoen had six tackles and three quarterback hits, and reserve Brandon Scarlett had another five stops, a quarterback hit, and a near-interception on a well-played batted pass. Elandon Roberts was a tone-setter against his former team, though his stats didn't reflect his presence: two solo tackles, a pass breakup, and a quarterback hit, to go with a ridiculous roughing-the-passer penalty on a play that saw him wreck a running back and make a diving sack on Jones.
• Miami's secondary was the difference in this one, with the group contributing all three forced fumbles. Eric Rowe had nine tackles and a forced fumble, Nik Needham added six solo stops, and Jason McCourty stood out in his first game with five tackles and a massive breakup on a deep pass. Rookie Jevon Holland had two solo stops and a forced fumble, while Brandon Jones was quiet with a single stop, though he was noticeable on special teams. At corner, Byron Jones had five solo tackles, a pass breakup, and solid coverage all day long, but he was overshadowed as usual by Howard. Despite being avoided all day, the All-Pro had five tackles and made the biggest play of the game when he forced and recovered a fumble in the final moments to preserve the Dolphins victory.

Special Teams

• Jason Sanders was Jason Sanders, drilling an end-of-half 48-yarder, converting both extra points, and providing great distance on kickoffs. 
• New punter Michael Palardy averaged 45 yards on four punts, with a long of 52.
• The only return opportunity was positive and negative, with Jakeem Grant's only touch of the day seeing him make an ill-advised decision to field a punt inside the 5-yard line -- but then putting together an 18-yard return.

Momentum Plays

• A promising New England drive to start the game was stymied when Miami pressured Jones into an inexplicable throw behind him that resulted in a fumble and a loss of 13 yards.
• The Dolphins put together a stellar drive, starting with a 17-yard hookup between Tua and Waddle and featuring a 15-yard, third-down Gaskin run and a nifty catch and run by Ahmed. Tua punctuated the possession with a walk-in score off an RPO for the early 7-0 advantage.
• Rowe jarred the ball loose on the Pats' next possession, with Seiler jumping on it in New England territory. The 'Fins responded with a brutal three-and-out, however, giving away amazing field position.
• The Cheatriots put together a strong drive, but a huge holding call erased a bruising touchdown run by Damien Harris, and a Holland third-down forced fumble led to a field goal by New England to cut the lead to 7-3.
• Waddle dropped a wide-open pass that would have easily converted a third down on the ensuing possession for a second-straight three-and-out, but McCourty responded with a beautifully timed pass breakup on a deep ball to Jakobi Meyers to nullify a Patriots opportunity.
• The 'Fins responded with a third-straight three-and-out that featured Tua inexplicably and blindly throwing off his back foot into coverage, narrowly avoiding a pick.
• The Pats cobbled together another good drive, with a 26-yarder to Nelson Agholor setting the team up. Roberts took matters into his own hands for the Dolphins by steamrolling a blocking back and dropping Jones for a third-down sack, but a preposterous roughing-the-passer flag was thrown, and New England took advantage of a gift touchdown to go ahead 10-7.
• A 34-yard, back-shoulder strike to Waddle jumpstarted the ensuing Miami possession before the refs inexplicably whistled an offsides play dead, robbing the Dolphins a chance at a free play that saw multiple receivers streaking deep. Brissett converted a third down before Tua held the ball a beat too long on an end zone shot to an open Wilson and then took a third-down sack that forced a 48-yard Sanders field goal to tie the score going into halftime.
• The 'Fins came out blazing to start the second, with Tua hitting Parker for a 30-yarder that saw 'Vante make a stellar toe tap, Gaskin making putting together a pair of first-down plays, and Miami rolling out the Wildcat for 12 yards on runs by Ahmed and Brown. Tua then rolled out and hit Waddle, who made an incredible effort to break a tackle and reach across the goal line to put the Dolphins up 17-10.
• A suspicious spot helped New England convert a third-and-short, allowing the Patriots to sustain a drive that featured a nice mix of runs and passes. However, Ogbah had a key pressure to force a third-down incompletion, forcing the Cheatriots to settle for a field goal to make it 17-13.
• A pathetic Miami three-and-out set the table for another Pats drive that saw Hunter Henry make a couple of key grabs. Meyers could not reel in a low-but-catchable third-down toss, meaning that New England had to settle for yet another field goal and a 17-16 deficit.
• An illegal man downfield call nullified a third-down conversion on a broken play for Miami, and the next play featured Tua airmailing another horrific throw as he was being drilled, with the ball bouncing around before being intercepted by New England.
• After taking over at midfield, the Patriots went to work quickly, with Meyers converting a third down and Harris forcing missed tackles by Van Ginkel and Rowe to pay off another third down with a tough run. A pop pass to Jonnu Smith landed the Cheatriots on the Miami 11-yard line, but "X" came to the rescue with the play of the game, performing a flawless rip and recover on Harris to give the Dolphins possession.
• A nine-yard naked boot by Tua was erased by an Eichenberg hold, but Tua calmly hit Parker for 13 on a slant, allowing Brown to convert with a Wildcat run. Two more hard Brown runs resulted in a 3rd & 1, and Brissett salted the game away with another keeper conversion.
• Victory freaking formation, 17-16 'Fins.

2021 Schedule

Miami 17, New England 16 (1-0)