Miami Dolphins Game 1 Live Blog

3:22 p.m.

No way that's a first down!

3:21 p.m.

Looks like an awfully generous spot for New England on this huge fourth down. Might be reversed after the Dolphins wisely challenged.

3:14 p.m.

Not one kickoff has been returned today ... yawn.

3:12 p.m.

Dolphins right back in it after a great drive that followed the HUGE New England turnover. Rookie Robert Hunt in the game as an extra offensive lineman on the Howard touchdown run.

3:06 p.m.

Actually shocked they made a call against Gilmore, even he clearly held Preston Williams' hand.

3:05 p.m.

Dolphins making the right call to go for it on fourth-and-2 at the start of the fourth quarter.

2:58 p.m.

Jerome Baker has been hustling like crazy all game and it now has paid off big time when he knocks the ball out of N'Keal Harry's hands through the end zone for a touchback. That might have been the knockout blow right there ... though the Dolphins have big issues on offense right now.

2:56 p.m.

So the Dolphins didn't have enough problems, now DeVante Parker is questionable to return with a hamstring injury. Remember that he had an issue with that in training camp.

2:46 p.m.

Big problem on offense is the inability of the receivers to create much separation. Yes, it's a great New England secondary, but it's not better than it was in the 2019 finale.

2:42 p.m.

New England's eight plays on this drive: 10, 16, 11, 5, 9, 6, 7 and 11 yards. Yikes!

2:38 p.m.

What a disappointing defensive opening drive of the second half. And on this apparent touchdown, this time it's Emmanuel Ogbah who fails to contain the edge after Shaq Lawson was guilty of it in the first half. Can't stop the run if the edge defenders are going to get caught inside all the time.

Halftime thoughts:

The Dolphins looked like they were in trouble at some point, but they've adjusted in defending New England's running game.

That said, the Patriots have been ultra conservative, such as running the ball to set up a 45-yard field goal attempt late in the first half, and that has benefited the Dolphins.

Christian Wilkins was an absolute stud in the first half, looked every bit looked somebody who was the 13th overall pick of the 2019 NFL draft.

On offense, the best player has been running back Myles Gaskin, who looked like a totally different back than last year.

As for quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, the last pick was a really bad throw but he wasn't to blame for the first one. It came because Preston Williams was bumped off his route by Stephon Gilmore on a play that could have been called illegal contact, though that won't happen against somebody with Gilmore's reputation.

Williams did have a nice 20-yard catch in the second quarter, but he doesn't look like the same player he was last year and perhaps that's to be expected early on as he continues his recovery from his torn ACL.

The offensive line has been solid, though Ereck Flowers really didn't need to get his hands around the New England defender long after Matt Breida had picked up a first down on a running play.

2:16 p.m.

Holy smokes is Wilkins having a half!

2:12 p.m.

That was a horrible throw in so many ways by Fitzpatrick. Not only did he not see the underneath defender (Phillips), but Ford hadn't created separation.

2:04 p.m.

Did tell you that Myles Gaskin looked real good in the practices that were open to the media. Looks like a totally different back from 2019.

2:02 p.m.

Christian Wilkins has had himself quite the first half. Had a pass batted down and an assisted tackle on the Patriots' last drive.

1:56 p.m.

Impressive drive by the Dolphins. Karras beaten on second-down draw to Gaskin and the third-down play had no shot because Williams could not get separation against Gilmore. I know some writers in South Florida like to push the narrative that Preston Williams is a better wide receiver than DeVante Parker, but it's just not so. Parker is a matchup problem for Gilmore; Williams is not.

1:52 p.m.

At the risk of stating the obvious, DeVante Parker looks just as good as he did last year.

1:45 p.m.

So what the hell was that by Cam Newton? Looks like he just gave up on the play and took the sack. Gift for the Dolphins.

1:42 p.m.

Lot of contact down the field against Preston Williams ... easily could have been defensive holding. Then Williams get outmuscled for a spot by Stephon Gilmore, who makes the pick.

1:38 p.m.

New England scoring drive was 11 plays for 80 yards in 6:11. Only three passes.

1:36 p.m.

Shaq Lawson again let the running back get outside because he got fixated on Cam Newton with the ball. That's not going to get it done. And then Newton caps the drive with a keeper.

1:33 p.m.

Key first-quarter stats:

Dolphins have 40 total yards (not good), Jordan Howard has 6 yards on five carries (also not good).

1:31 p.m.

Well, that was fun. Timeout, lot of commercials. Back from commercials. Clock restarts. Patriots let the first-quarter clock run out. More commercials. Oy!

1:26 p.m.

Right after Shaq Lawson makes a mistake and loses contain on an RPO, Davon Godchaux with great penetration to make a stop.

1:24 p.m.

Not a great sign early on that the Dolphins are having trouble running the ball and stopping the run.

1:18 p.m.

Fitzpatrick took a shot on his lower left leg after his completion to Gaskin on third down. Keep an eye on his mobility.

1:17 p.m.

Interesting to see Laird and Gaskin in the game before Breida on this second-down play.

1:11 p.m.

Back-to-back impressive defensive plays ... yes, Edelman should have caught that first-down pass, but great play by Bobby McCain to bat it away.

1:07 p.m.

Newton with back-to-back RPO runs ... never had to worry about that with Brady. LOL

1:06 p.m.

Think we just saw how Mack Hollins made the team. Great special teams play almost forced a turnover.

1:04 p.m.

Parker catches the pass against Stephon Gilmore, but Gilmore bumped to stay in front of the marker. Parker has to fight harder to get past the marker there.

1:03 p.m.

Dolphins open with two tight ends, no surprise given that Chan Gailey likes to run the ball.

12:57 p.m.

As they said in their video released Thursday, the Dolphins are staying in the locker room for both anthems.

12:41 p.m.

One more important note about the inactive list: Be wary when you see the weekly injury report on Wednesday and Thursday.

Remember all the hand-wringing over cornerbacks Xavien Howard and Byron Jones, as well as DeVante Parker? Well, all of them are playing. And so is Tua Tagovailoa.

In fact, not a single one of them even had a game status designation on the FINAL injury report, which truly is the significant one.

11:30 a.m.

The first inactives of the season have been released, and as with everything else this year, there's a change.

The Dolphins will have only five inactives for their season opener against New England — WR Malcolm Perry, WR Lynn Bowden Jr., S Clayton Fejedelem, DE Jason Strowbridge and T Adam Pankey.

The New England inactives are QB Jarrett Stidham, TE Dalton Keene, LB Cassh Maluia, LB Josh Uche and OL Korey Cunningham.

For the Dolphins, we shouldn't be surprised that the two rookies converting from quarterback to wide receiver aren't ready to contribute at the start of the season — particularly Bowden, considering he came over only last weeked after being acquired in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Per the new roles this year, teams can have 47 active players on game day or 48 if at least eight are offensive linemen.

Barring injuries, you can expect teams to always take advantage of that rule. The eight active offensive linemen for the Dolphins for their opener are starters Austin Jackson, Ereck Flowers, Ted Karras, Solomon Kindley and Jesse Davis, along with Robert Hunt, Michael Deiter and Julién Davenport.

Given that he's not starting and is a rookie, maybe it's a little surprising that Hunt got the call instead of Pankey. It might speak to the Dolphins thinking he's still more ready to make a solid contribution if called upon. The likelihood, though, is that Hunt only wold be used if the Dolphins need two extra tackles because Davenport has a big experience advantage.

10 a.m.

The Miami Dolphins will be looking to make a major statement right away in the 2020 regular season when they face the New England Patriots in the opener at Gillette Stadium.

The Dolphins are back where they ended their 2019 season in style, with a 27-24 upset victory that robbed the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs from the Patriots.

As they begin their second season under head coach Brian Flores, the Dolphins have a totally different look on the roster after signing 11 veteran unrestricted free agents and making 11 selections in the 2020 NFL draft, plus acquiring three players in trades — running back Matt Breida, tight end Adam Shaheen and Raiders rookie third-round pick Lynn Bowden Jr.

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is back to lead the offense at the start of the season, though much attention remains on rookie first-round pick Tua Tagovailoa, the fifth overall selection out of the University of Alabama.

The Dolphins will be looking to make it two victories at Gillette Stadium, something they haven't done since the 1999-2000 seasons. Their offensive coordinator for that 2020 season was Chan Gailey, who was brought out of retirement this offseason to rejoin the Dolphins for a second stint.

The Dolphins also have a new offensive coordinator in 2020, with longtime New England Patriots assistant Josh Boyer taking over for Patrick Graham, who left to join the New York Giants. Boyer is in his second season with the Dolphins after serving as cornerbacks coach and defensive pass game coordinator last year.

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