Mac Jones Drones: Patriots Offense Sputters in Week 1 Loss at Dolphins

Mac Jones struggled to generate offensive momentum in South Beach.

Outscored by not only their Miami counterparts but also those from Boston ...  those on the diamond ... the New England Patriots could be faced with the prospect of playing equally meaningless games as the Red Sox if similar offensive performances become the norm in 2022. 

Year 2 of the Mac Jones era, one armed with mostly the same supporting cast, got off to a sour start, as only a short Ty Montgomery touchdown reception in the increasingly meaningless second half prevented a shutout when they fell by a 20-7 final to the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday. New England mustered only 271 yards total, marking the third regular-season game in their last six where they failed to break the 300-yard plateau. 

"We beat ourselves," Patriots center and offensive captain David Andrews said, per Audacy. "Three turnovers, strip-sack for a touchdown. More of a 'can't win until you keep from losing' kind of day than anything else."

Andrews' group was responsible for one of the more egregious errors of the afternoon: an unblocked Brandon Jones burst into the backfield and took down Jones, whose subsequent fumble was recovered by Melvin Ingram

New England (0-1) obtained more questions than answers in what some see as a transitional year for a unit that nonetheless retains most of its personnel from last season. Matt Patricia took over as the primary play-caller for the 2022 season, one that failed to take advantage of a defense that what it could to mind the gap. 

But perhaps nothing defined the Dolphins' dominance but the victors' decision to air it out with Tua Tagovailoa on fourth down (a decision that yielded a long Jaylen Waddle touchdown) from just ahead of midfield in the final minute of regulation perhaps displayed a complete lack of fear of a New England offense whose momentum was killed after the first drive when Jones threw an end zone interception to Jevon Holland. The pass was an attempt to get newcomer and former Dolphins wideout DeVante Parker involved, but Holland's successful tip-ball grab more or less permanently shifted momentum.

Jones testing his deep-ball abilities was something to keep an eye on during the opener, but it only led to disaster in the early going. Kendrick Bourne, perhaps his most potent deep-ball threat, was benched in favor of the inexperienced Lil'Jordan Humphrey for a majority of the contest after he was held in check in the early stages. Bourne partly redeemed himself with a 41-yard reception on what became the team's final drive of the game ... one that ended on a lost Nelson Agholor fumble that allowed Miami to run the clock out. 

"We let one slip away," Andrews said, lamenting the waste of a defensive effort that let up only a field goal in the second half. To his point, the New England defense limited Miami (1-0) to a single touchdown and only 307 yards on the afternoon, but such efforts went unrewarded as New England's offensive woes ensured that the Dolphins' early 10-0 lead would prove sustainable in the long term.

Adding literal injury to the insult, Jones did not speak afterward as he was in the midst of medical observation for a back injury sustained through two sacks and three further quarterback hits (two from Emmanuel Ogbah). ... though it seems he might be OK.

New England has a chance to right its ship next Sunday on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers (1 p.m. ET, CBS). While the Steelers' defenders proved formidable against the defending Super Bowl finalist Cincinnati Bengals but suffered a major loss in the form of T.J. Watt, who is feared to be lost to a torn pectoral. 

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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