Not high marks, but just enough for Dolphins win
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The way the Miami Dolphins played in most aspects of the game, it usually wouldn’t be enough to win.
But on Sunday at Gillette Stadium, somehow, it was.
When the Dolphins needed it most, elite cornerback Xavien Howard punched the ball away from Patriots running back Damien Harris and then recovered it to stop New England’s late scoring threat.
Although the Patriots outgained the Dolphins 393-259 and won time of possession by roughly 13
minutes, it was the late takeaway and keeping New England to one touchdown on four red-zone trips that proved to be the difference between 1-0 and 0-1 in the AFC East. But you take a tough road win in the AFC East however you can get it.
Here is the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s report card, evaluating how the Dolphins performed during Sunday’s 17-16 win over the Patriots:
Passing game: C+
Coming out of the first drive of each half, the Dolphins’ passing game was phenomenal. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was 4 for 4 on the season-opening offensive series. To start the second half, the big 30-yard play to DeVante Parker ignited a drive that ended in Jaylen Waddle’s first career touchdown. Tagovailoa wasn’t bad — going 16 of 27 for 202 yards and the touchdown — but the fourth-quarter interception where he was trying to throw the ball away and just lofted it up by the sideline nearly cost Miami the game. He was also fortunate not to have another interception earlier, throwing across his body to the middle of the field and behind a receiver.
Running game: B
The 3.2 yards per carry leaves something to be desired, but it was brought down by short-yardage situational running. Lead back Myles Gaskin averaged 5.4 yards a carry, 49 yards on nine attempts. The problem was they didn’t stick with him after giving him five carries on the opening drive. Greater use of Gaskin could have some promise for the Dolphins. Also, Miami was able to run out the clock in the end because it picked up a pair of first downs on the ground. Malcolm Brown came in late as the bruiser and pounded his way — first on a Wildcat play on second-and-1 and then with 5- and 4-yard gains to set up backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett for the sealing sneak on third-and-1.
Defending the pass: C
The Dolphins’ pass defense should have looked better against a rookie first-time starting quarterback. Mac Jones was not confused by Dolphins’ blitzes and pressures. He found holes vacated by them. The Dolphins, after leading the league in third-down defense last year, allowed Jones and the Patriots to convert 11 of 16. They did tighten up when they had to, getting the key red-zone stops, but New England was able to spread it out to receivers Jakobi Meyers and Nelson Agholor, tight ends Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry and running back James
White, a St. Thomas Aquinas High grad. Safety Jason McCourty’s pass breakup in single coverage deep against Meyers was a huge play.
Defending the run: C+
The 4.2 yards per carry surrendered isn’t a great number. It starts to look reminiscent of the first half of 2020, when opponents ran all over the Dolphins before the run defense improved to finish No. 16 in the league. Missing nose tackle Raekwon Davis most of the game hurt, but New England had it going from the first play, a 35-yard Harris run. Harris finished with 100 yards, but it was on Harris’ last carry that Howard punched the ball out to win the game for the Dolphins. That play did come in run defense, boosting the grade here.
Special teams: B
The nearly automatic Jason Sanders made his one field-goal attempt, from 48 yards out at the end of the first half after the Dolphins were pushed back due to a sack. Punter Michael Palardy had two of his first three boots go for 40 and 37 yards. The other was 52 yards but for a touchback, dropping 20 off the net. His last punt was a good one, 51 yards when the Patriots had the Dolphins at their own 20-yard line with a chance to start the ensuing drive with good field position, but Palardy sent them back to their own 29.
Coaching: B
Starting each half with a touchdown-scoring drive showed that the offensive staff came in with a solid game plan of how to script the opening drives. How stagnant the offense was for most other possessions displayed a lack of adjustments to New England’s adjustments. Defensively, the expectation would’ve been to create more havoc for Jones, but he was prepared for everything the Dolphins threw at him. In the end, it was good enough for a road win in the division.
Stock up
His stock is already high, but Xavien Howard’s went even higher. He won the Dolphins the game with his late strip and fumble recovery. He did it so often with his interceptions last season; this time, he found a different way to swing things in Miami’s favor. The Dolphins may want to make sure he gets what he wants contractually in coming seasons because, time and time again, this team depends on Howard’s game-changing abilities. Same goes for defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, who was in the backfield consistently, had a tackle for loss and batted down a ball at the line of scrimmage.
Stock down
Did anyone notice Mike Gesicki on Sunday? The Dolphins’ top tight end was held without a catch and only targeted twice. He played just 21 offensive snaps, 39 percent of the unit’s plays. Meanwhile, the tight end behind him, Durham Smythe, was in on 70 percent of plays. Defensively, first-round pick Jaelan Phillips only played 22 snaps — outside linebacker Brennan Scarlett edged him by four. Nickel cornerback Justin Coleman saw just two defensive snaps. Nik Needham is well ahead of him there, logging 35 on Sunday.