Takeaways from the Patriots’ Week 2 Loss vs the Dolphins

The Patriots have dropped their second straight game at home against a projected playoff contender. This time, the Dolphins’ track team offense was able to put New England’s defense on its heels at times while the offense was plagued by similar demons. The team entered Sunday night’s game without Trent Brown and Jonathan Jones but got back Cole Strange, Mike Onewnu, and DeVante Parker. Unfortunately, Jon Jones’s replacement Marcus Jones left early with a shoulder injury, Strange struggled in his debut, and Atonio Mafi struggled in replacement duty for Onwenu in the 2nd half.

Tua Tagovailoa was held to a modest 92.2 passer rating, fewer than 250 yards passing, and throwing an interception to match his touchdown pass. He was formidable for the most part but crumbled a bit late with some key mistakes. Miami’s rushing offense was also surprisingly potent, with Raheem Mostert rushing for over 200 yards and a pair of scores. But the Patriots’ defense made plays when they needed to and gave the offense chances to come back from an early hole.

Mac Jones made another valiant, if imperfect, effort to stage a comeback, but unrelenting pressure and poor execution from his supporting cast were too much to overcome. He was sacked four times in a 231-yard, one-touchdown, one-interception performance.

This loss felt like a line in the sand for the team, as Matt Judon acknowledged while speaking to the media that they aren’t a bad team but must put an end to the late starts. For now, here are my key takeaways from the 24-17 defeat.

OFFENSE FAILS TO OVERCOME THIN MARGIN FOR ERROR

The Patriots consistently dinked and dunked down the field but got in their own way with poor execution, some questionable decision-making, and a pair of turnovers.

A promising opening drive was thwarted when Rhamondre Stevenson was blown up for a two-yard loss before Cole Strange seemingly missed a late blitzer to set up 3rd & 21.

On the next drive, what started as a nice catch and run for Demario Douglas to beat the blitz turned into a disaster.

Bradley Chubb chased the rookie down to force a fumble, which Miami recovered to seize possession. Douglas wouldn’t play another offensive snap after the mistake.

Trench troubles popped up again on the Patriots’ third drive, where Andrew Van Ginkel worked through a chip block and quickly beat Calvin Anderson for a sack on 3rd down.

The offense seemed to be gaining momentum on a ten-play drive before the half. But after losing yardage on a 2nd & 8 in scoring territory after the two-minute warning, New England couldn’t convert on 3rd down and settled for a field goal.

The Patriots had another questionable call on 3rd & 1 during their opening 2nd half possession.

Bill O’Brien called a toss on 3rd & 1 rather than going with the QB sneak that had been effective earlier.

Whether or not you agree with the call, it didn’t help that an unblocked Jevon Holland tackled Stevenson for a four-yard loss.

After the defense forced an interception to steal possession, the offense failed to capitalize despite reaching scoring territory.

DeVante Parker was 1-on-1 with Xavien Parker, prompting Mac Jones to attack the matchup with a go ball. But Parker lost on the route, and an underthrown ball led to an interception.

The offense scored touchdowns on two of their next three possessions, but pressure continued to kill drives and led to an underthrown pass on the offense’s final play of the game.

MAC JONES’ 4TH QUARTER PERFORMANCE A BRIGHT SPOT

Mac Jones wasn’t perfect against the Dolphins, with his headlining mistake being the aforementioned interception. But overall, he had several impressive moments in the game and flipped a switch after his turnover.

Not only did Jones make smart decisions against the blitz and under pressure,  but he made several plays outside of structure and on the move that people. Considered strictly a pocket passer, last season, he converted a 3rd & 15 on his own and made key off-platform throws on both of New England’s touchdown drives.

The Patriots are off to a rough start, but it’s hard to put that at Jones’ feet. He’s been remarkably efficient despite minimal room for mistakes, and his arrow is pointing up.

DEFENSE STRUGGLES IN 1ST HALF BUT (MOSTLY) DOMINATES 2ND HALF  

The Patriots struggled with Miami’s motion-heavy scheme in the 1st half and had issues with pursuit and tackling throughout tonight’s game.

They also had trouble containing the run game, resulting in some chunk plays and a long touchdown run on what Deatrich Wise described as “one of those lucky plays,” where a few missed assignments led to a worst-case scenario.

But for the most part, New England did a great job limiting downfield plays against an explosive Dolphins attack.

And while Miami hurt itself at times, the Patriots made the plays that needed to be made in big moments, generating several key pressures and leading to Christian Gonzalez’s first career interception.

Brenden Schooler also continued to show why he’s one of the league’s best special teamers.

He timed a field goal snap perfectly and dove to block a field goal, which Kyle Dugger recovered after nearly intercepting a Tagovailoa pass moments before.

No one presents the type of challenge the Dolphins’ offense does, and while changes must be made in their next matchup, they proved they can hand against a tough group. And if the Joneses’ are healthy for their next matchup, it should take some stress off of the defense in Round 2.

LEFTOVERS

• Three of Bryce Baringer’s four punts pinned the Dolphins in their own territory, and his hang time gave coverage units plenty of time to converge. Chad Ryland also recorded his first NFL field goal on a 49-yard attempt. Good night for the rookie special teamers.
• Kendrick Bourne has seven deep targets from Mac Jones in the past two weeks and just one reception, which was a touchdown catch last week. He was supposed to blossom into a well-rounded threat for New England but has failed to meet those expectations, and it’s hurting an offense starved for playmakers.
• The Patriots’ cornerback group [ is looking pretty banged up after being considered a position of strength this season. With Jack Jones already on IR and the severity of Marcus and Jonathan’s injuries unknown, this is a spot to monitor.