3 Players to Watch in Patriots' Week 1 Game vs. Dolphins
The time has finally come. New England Patriots football is back on Sunday as they face off against the Miami Dolphins in a 1 p.m. matchup at Gillette Stadium.
With that, PatriotMaven is very excited to bring back it's weekly publications to pre-face each week's matchup. This one being a lot more difficult than normal as a lot of unknowns remain with this Patriots team heading into the first game. So much roster turnover, new coaches, and an evolving offense, it is fair to say that this New England squad will look far different than its previous year counterparts.
Here are three players everyone should be keeping close tabs on during New England's season opener against the AFC East rival Dolphins.
Cam Newton
All eyes will obviously be on Newton for many reasons.
The first being is Sunday being his first start as he attempts to succeed Tom Brady. All the storylines will be following him leading up to Sunday's matchup. The biggest reason to watch Newton play will be to see how his play style and the Patriots' offensive scheme mesh. There will be some changes to the New England playbook to cater more towards a more mobile, more modern style of play with Newton. The offense will look different from years prior. The question is whether that change will be for the better or worse. One can begin to get a good sense of that in this first game against the Dolphins.
Ja'Whaun Bentley
Arguably the player with the biggest shoes to fill on defense is Bentley, as he moves from Dont'a Hightower's shadow to now the leader and longest tenured Patriots linebacker. With many new faces and much youth and inexperience at that spot nowadays, Bentley is going to be relied upon to be an anchor of that core.
With Miami placing emphasis on adding to the offensive line and run game this offseason, they may try to attack between the tackles and run at these young linebackers. Bentley will have to keep this group together and be strong against the run as he could see a lot of action there on Sunday.
N'Keal Harry
With Mohamed Sanu now out of the picture, Harry will need to play like a first round pick this season. In only his second year, after only playing less than half a season last year and only catching twelve footballs in that span, expectations are rather high for Harry. However, after a dedicated offseason to footwork and finding more separation, he should show some improvement on the field this time around.
Harry seems to have already built a strong rapport with Newton, and his new quarterback even calls him the "Doughboy." With Julian Edelman a limited participant in practice this week, Harry will likely be a gigantic part of the passing game when Newton takes to the air. A true test for Harry to prove himself to many fans already quick to doubt him.
However, to make things just a little bit more difficult for the sophomore receiver, he will likely be drawing coverage from Byron Jones in man-to-man situations, while Xavien Howard will likely draw Edelman. Jones is a star cornerback, potentially one of the best in the league. With Harry needing to hit the ground running during his sophomore campaign, he will not only need to show improvement, but he will also need to do so against one of the NFL's best at the cornerback position. He should think of the opportunity as no different than facing off against Stephon Gilmore in practice.
