The Dolphins-Patriots Week 1 Five Biggest Storylines ... And How They Played Out
In this story:
Before the Miami Dolphins season opener against the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, we examined the five biggest storylines and now it's time to revisit them after the 20-7 Miami victory to see how they played out:
1. The New-Look Dolphins Offense
BEFORE THE GAME: After an offseason filled with talk, debate and conversation about what the Dolphins offense might look like, we'll get our first glimpse in a real game. What does head coach Mike McDaniel have in store in terms of a game plan against Bill Belichick? How much of a focus will there be on the running game? What will the Dolphins do to take advantage of the speed of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle? What will the offensive line look like with a new scheme and two new key members? Again, we won't be able to form definitive conclusions after just one game, but at least we'll have some sort of idea because the preseason doesn't mean much in terms of revealing the identity of the offense.
DURING THE GAME: There are two things that clearly stood out in this first regular season look at the new Dolphins offense, and those are that Tyreek Hill is going to be heavily featured and that he and Jaylen Waddle have the ability to turn any play into a long gain. Hill was targeted a game-high 12 times, including on five of Tua Tagovailoa's first seven pass attempts. His speed clearly was a factor on a few of those targets when New England defenders made sure to start backpedaling early so as to not get beat deep. But the biggest example of the Dolphins' big-play ability, however, came on Waddle's 42-yard touchdown when he caught Tua's strike at the 30 and was able to use his speed to split three defenders on his way to the end zone. The running game didn't exactly produce big numbers, but we saw McDaniel use not only Hill and Waddle to carry the ball, but fellow wide receiver Cedric Wilson Jr. and fullback Alec Ingold as well. By our record-keeping, this was the first carry by a Dolphins fullback since 2012 when Jorvorskie Lane had 13 rushing attempts.
2. Tua Starts Important Season
BEFORE THE GAME: If we're talking about the offense, we very obviously have to talk about Tua Tagovailoa as he sets to embark on a critical season, one that very well might determine the course the franchise takes at quarterback. The Dolphins have hyped the QB since the offseason, but more importantly have surrounded him with better talent than he's had since arriving as the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. Now, it's time for him to start delivering.
DURING THE GAME: Tagovailoa's stat sheet certainly looked impressive, as he completed 23 of 33 passes for 270 yards with one touchdown, no picks and had a passer rating of 104.4. And he came through on the fourth-and-7 with his best pass of the game to send Waddle on his way to the end zone. But it wasn't a perfect outing because he again shown his nasty habit of trying to do too much at times and he was fortunate on two passes that easily could have been intercepted. But the bottom line is he didn't get intercepted and he distributed the ball to the team's playmakers, so it was a solid, efficient first start.
3. What Will the Return Game Look Like?
BEFORE THE GAME: After having Jakeem Grant to handle returns for several years, there's not one return specialist on the roster and McDaniel has repeated he won't be afraid to use Hill, Waddle or Jevon Holland in the return game, as the three are listed at the top of the depth chart. Beyond who they end up using, it'll be interesting to see what kind of impact the return game can make for the Dolphins.
DURING THE GAME: As it turned out, it was Jevon Holland that was used as the punt returner against the Patriots, though he called for a fair catch both teams he fielded a kick. He was backed up deep both times, so the emphasis then simply was on securing the catch. Now we'll see whether the Dolphins stick with the same plan in a game where they're not in control from start to finish.
4. How Will the Defense Deal with the Absence of Byron Jones?
BEFORE THE GAME: This is the biggest personnel question on defense because Jones' man coverage ability — and it is very good — is a big part of the ultra-aggressive style the Dolphins like to employ. The first question here is whether Nik Needham will slide outside from the slot to replace Jones in the starting lineup or whether the Dolphins will go with one of their other cornerbacks, whether it be Noah Igbinoghene, Keion Crossen or Kader Kohou. And then the question is whether the pass defense will be affected, though this doesn't appear to be as much of a concern against the Patriots as it will be against, say, the Bills or Bengals later this month.
DURING THE GAME: The first answer had Nik Needham lining up as the starting outside cornerback opposite Howard and the Dolphins held Mac Jones to only 213 passing yards. Jones had two completions longer than 20 yards, including a 41-yard hook-up with Kendrick Bourne, and both came against Needham. It should be noted he had very good coverage on a 27-yard gain by Jakobi Meyers, who just made an impressive grab on the play. Needham was beaten deep two plays before the long pass to Bourne, though Jones overthrew his receiver. When the Dolphins went with more than two cornerbacks, Kohou and Crossen split the duties and they both responded with strong efforts — particularly Kohou. Igbinoghene, meanwhile, was inactive, a strong indictment for the 2020 first-round pick.
5. How Will the Newcomers Perform in their Dolphins Debut?
BEFORE THE GAME: The Dolphins have several high-profile veteran newcomers on the roster with Hill, Armstead, Chase Edmonds, Raheem Mostert, Cedrick Wilson Jr., Melvin Ingram and Trey Flowers and what kind of impact they can make right from the start always is something to watch. The best guess here is that — obviously — Hill is the one most likely to make a difference against New England, though we wouldn't dismiss either of the running backs.
DURING THE GAME: As expected, Hill was the one who was the most visible, but it was noteworthy that Ingram scored the Dolphins' first touchdown of the season. Mostert and Edmonds each had a good gain in the passing game, while not being able to generate much on the ground. Armstead, by all accounts, had a clean game at left tackle, while Wilson gained 28 yards on three touches. Flowers ended up being inactive, which might count as perhaps a minor surprise.
