The Dophins’ opened in profitable fashion with a 20-7 win in opposition to New England.
The protection? Dominant.
The offense? Well, a piece in progress.
But you beat your division rival and don’t play your finest and also you’ll take it each time. Here are 10 ideas on the opener:
Play of the day: Brandon Jones had 11 tackles Sunday and a sack that opened up the sport. Tne fixed to Dolphins-Patriots sport lately is the Dolphins protection has scored factors and adjusted days. They had two touchdowns in opposition to the Patriots offense in final 12 months’s finale and Xavien Howard precipitated and recovered a fumble to win final 12 months’s opener. This time it was Jones blitzing the blindside within the second quarter as Patriots quarterback Mac Jones went to move from his 2-yard line. Jones hit him, the ball popped lose and one-hopped into Melvin Ingram’s palms for a simple touchown.
2. The distinction Sunday? It was pace. Exactly as marketed. Just within the first half, Tyreek Hill had six catches for 77 yards and ran a reverse for six yards and Jaylen Waddle cut up three defenders on an ideal strike from Tua Tagovailoa for a 42-yard landing. That’s just about what the Dolphins plotted with this sort of pace at receiver. Hill was a brief goal, stretched the protection on lengthy routes and took a 26-yard move away from Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones. And Waddle? For the day, Hill had eight catches for 94 yards and Waddle had 4 for 69 yards.
3. You noticed the misdirection and inventive scheming of Mike McDaniel’s offense {that a} disciplined Patriots protection wasn’t falling for an excessive amount of. But one query of McDaniel’s sport managing started to focus Sunday: He’s going to be extra aggressive on fourth downs. With 24 seconds left within the half, going through fourth-and-8 from the Patriots 42-yard line, McDaniel went for it and Tua made an ideal throw over the center to Jaylen Waddle, who cut up three defenders to run for the landing. Now, New England had no time-outs so with such little time left on the clock it might have been shocking if McDaniel didn’t go for it there. A greater measuring stick got here on the primary drive. Facing third-and-1 on the 50. Tagovailoa threw deep and incomplete to fullback Alec Ingold. That’s the sort of play you run realizing you’re going for it on fourth down. They did, too. New England deal with Carl Davis jumped offsides, so we by no means noticed the play (and, sure, you would say they could have employed a tough rely till the clock ran out and punted). Brian Flores ranked twenty ninth in going for it on fourth down final 12 months. that confirmed a elementary lack of religion within the offense – and believin the protection. McDaniel isn’t a go-for-it at anytime on fourth down. Facing fourth-and-4 close to midfield within the second quarter, they punted. San Francisco, the place McDaniel was offensive coordinator final 12 months, ranked twenty first in fourth-down tendencies. So McDaniel will choose his locations, it appears. He picked a pair on Sunday.
4. It wasn’t all excellent news. The offensive line struggled a lot of the day in opposition to a very good Patriots defensive position – after which left the day with well being questions. First, proper deal with Austin Jackson harm his ankle within the first half and is changed by reserve Greg Little. Then, Little has to come back out on the primary drive of the second half and that causes a reshuffling on the road. Guard Robert Hunt strikes to proper deal with and reserve Robert Jones is available in as guard. Then, within the fourth quarter, left deal with Terron Armstead goes out of the sport. Guard Liam Eichenberg moved to left deal with. Little was again within the sport by that time and Jones moved to left guard. All that can take some finding out earlier than subsequent week to see how severe the accidents are. The bottom-line wants enchancment, too. The Dolphins ran 17 occasions for 45 yards till the ultimate minutes run-out-the-clock possessions. Tua additionally was sacked thrice on the day. So not solely does this line want well being – it want some enchancment.
5. Tua Tagovailoa’s day? It was OK. A profitable, C-effort. He had the nice throw to Waddle for a landing. He additionally acquired away with a would-be interception and would-be fumble because the Dolphins had been up 20-7 within the fourth quarter and making an attempt to place the day away. He accomplished 23 of 33 passes for 270 yards and a landing. A superb-enough effort on a profitable day. But it wasn’t something you left saying he impacted the sport a lot.
6. Xavien Howard lined Devante Parker for years in Dolphins practices. It sometimes went as you’d count on – because it did the primary throw they confronted in Sunday’s sport. The Patriots opened the sport with a pleasant drive when Mac Jones went to move into the top zone from the Dolphins 22. It was a leap ball. Howard vs. Parker. Howard made a veteran’s transfer, pinning Parker’s arm. He tipped the ball into the air together with his different hand. Jevon Holland picked it out of the air and the Dolphins had their first game-changing second of the season. Parker did get a measure of revenge within the second half as he drew a holding penalty on Howard on a fourth-and-1 that saved alive the Patriots 92-yard landing drive to open the second half.
6. All these questions concerning the Dolphins cornerbacks? They didn’t present on a Sunday that prompt New England’s offense is de facto as misplaced as was mentioned this summer season. Or perhaps the Dolphins protection is nearly as good as hoped? Maybe each are true. The sport successfully ended with undrafted rookie cornerback Kader Kohou made a big-time, fumble-causing hit on Nelson Agholor that the Dolphins recovered with 5 minutes to play. The truth the Dolphins protection gave up only one landing tells you of its day – and of the Patriots. One query for the Patriots coming into this sport was how an offense that changed coordinator Josh McDaniels with some mixture of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge will do. Sunday’s reply: They couldn’t reap the benefits of cornerback Byron Jones being out. Mac Jones was 21 of 30 for 213 yards, an interception and a landing. The Patriots ran 22 occasions for 78 yards displaying the sort of power the Dolphins had up entrance.
7. Stat of the Day I: The Dolphins have now received 25 straight video games when main at half, in accordance with CBS. That’s the longest streak within the NFL and speaks to … precisely what? I don’t know, contemplating it has to undergo the Adam Gase and Adam Gase eras. But it’s spectacular.
8. Quick hits:
* The coaches didn’t imagine what they had been saying about cornerback Noah Igbinoghene all summer season and preseason as they made him inactive for the opener.
* Terron Armstead had the sort of impactful sport that exhibits why he was an enormous commodit till he left within the fourth quarter. He can run block and move block in dominant style – and transfer some as a display screen move was run his manner within the third quarter.
* Mike Gesicki’s function is as diminished because the preseason confirmed. He had one catch for one yard and the play rely will present he wasn’t used a lot.
* The Patriots performed quite a lot of zone protection Sunday. That was to be anticipated after they let prime cornerback C.J. Jackson go to the Chargers in free company.
9. Stat of the Day II: It was 92 levels at kickoff (on-field it felt like 103 levels). It was 93 levels within the third quarter. Just 5 earlier Dolphins video games have been over 90 levels, in accordance with Dolphins information. The hottest? The 1995 opener in opposition to the New York Jets was 94 levels at kickoff in a 52-14 Dolphins win. Question: Will the Dolphins home-field benefit profit from international warming?
10. Next week: Dolphins at Baltimore. The NFL’s hardest first month continues with a Ravens group that’s so much more healthy than when the Dolphins beat them final November. Lamar Jackson was intercepted as soon as and sacked 4 occasions because the Dolphins (then 2-7) shocked Baltimore in a 22-10 win that successfully started their season’s turnaround. Baltimore
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Source: www.bostonherald.com