The Good, Bad, and Ugly From Dolphins' Week 2 Loss to Patriots

The Miami Dolphins put up a lot more of a fight in Week 2 against the New England Patriots than they did in Week 1, but they still came up short, losing 33-27.

On the bright side, if you think there is one, Miami’s offense did show some signs of life. However, the defense came out flat once again, and some familiar issues popped up in critical, late-game moments.

Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly from Miami’s second straight loss to open the season.

The Good: Miami’s Passing Game Had Some Explosives

The lack of an explosive passing game was a talking point all offseason, and the Dolphins showed some signs of life on Sunday.

The team had four completions that went for at least 20 yards, two to Tyreek Hill, one to Jaylen Waddle, and one to De’Von Achane. It’s just the third time since the start of the 2024 season that Miami has had four or more passing plays go for at least 20 yards.

Now, the caveat here is that Achane’s was a simple dump off on an angle route — not a throw downfield.

The other three featured Tua Tagovailoa at least attempting to push the ball downfield. He hit Waddle and Hill once each on deep out-breaking routes, something that is usually a good sign that Miami’s offense is humming.

The big explosive play was a 47-yarder to Hill that bailed Miami out of a third-and-13 situation. Hill made a great adjustment to an underthrown ball by Tua to come down with the completion. It wasn’t pretty, but these are the types of shots the Dolphins need to keep taking.

Ultimately, if you ignore Miami’s first and final two drives, the offense was pretty good on Sunday, especially the passing game. Tua was efficient, and the team’s best playmakers were consistently involved.

Miami’s passing offense still didn’t look like its 2022 or 2023 version, but there were flashes of the unit that took the league by storm. In a difficult loss with a lot of blame to go around, that’s worth hanging onto.

The Bad: Defense Still Can’t Stop Anyone

Miami’s defense has been on the field for 15 non-kneel-down drives this season, and it has forced just two punts. The Dolphins’ first genuine defensive stop of the season didn’t come until there were nine minutes left in the third quarter.

Regardless of the quality of the opponent, that is about as bad as it gets for a defense to start the season.

Miami allowed New England to convert seven of 12 third-down attempts and hasn’t made a fourth-down stop through two games. The Dolphins can’t get off the field, whether the opposing offense is running or passing.

The Dolphins allowed 333 total yards and 6.1 yards per play on Sunday. By total EPA, Miami had its third-worst performance under defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver. The team’s worst mark was last week, so that’s technically progress?

Jokes aside, the Dolphins need someone to start making some plays. The coverage is still too soft on the back, and the pass rush isn’t getting home consistently. They also haven’t forced a single turnover this season.

The defense did seem to figure a few things out down the stretch, forcing two punts in the second half. However, one of those was aided by a bad snap.

Still, that second half saved the defense from landing in the ugly column this week.

The Ugly: Offensive Procedure Nightmares

Last week, we wrote “Nothing Ever Changes on Offense” for the ugly, and well, a bunch of those issues reared their ugly heads again against the Patriots.

Let’s take a look at some key sequences from this game — Miami’s final two offensive drives.

Year 4 of the offense. Two drives to win the game, and this is what you get. Unserious stuff. pic.twitter.com/PEvr9QiOWp
— Dante Collinelli (@DanteCollinelli) September 14, 2025

The first of those drives started off pretty well. The Dolphins picked up a couple of first downs, leading them to their own 47 with four minutes left in the game. Miami was then called for a delay of game and a false start sandwiched around an incompletion.

The false start was called on Ollie Gordon II, as he went in motion at the same time as tight end Tanner Conner. Tua tried to stop Conner from motioning, but Conner wasn’t looking because there was really no reason to.

Those two penalties put the Dolphins behind the sticks, resulting in a fourth and nine. Tua tried to force the issue and threw an interception. Not great.

Don’t fret, though, because the Dolphins got another chance. Due to the kicker missing the landing zone, Miami got the ball back, down six, with 1:47 left and one timeout.

That’s all day by NFL standards, and the Dolphins made quick work of the Pats’ defense, getting down to their 26-yard line with 1:09 remaining. On the following play, Aaron Brewer is called for a false start.

Then, the Dolphins are called for a delay of game. It seemed like there was some confusion about which personnel package should be on the field, leading to too many men in the huddle. By the time Miami figured it out, it was too late. So, the Dolphins faced first and 20 from the Pats’ 36, and we all know how it turned out.

Miami had other offensive penalties that took some points off the board, too.

Patrick Paul was called for a false start on a two-point attempt, Brewer was called for a holding that wiped out a first and goal opportunity, and Malik Washington was called for illegal motion, which negated his own third-down conversion near the red zone.

These types of issues have plagued the offense during the Mike McDaniel scenario, and it was by far the biggest reason this team lost on Sunday.

In Year 4 of the same offense with the same quarterback and mostly the same coaches, it’s absurd that these issues keep happening. There’s no other word for it than ugly.

More Miami Dolphins Coverage