3 Stats to Know for Patriots' Week 1 Game vs. Dolphins
Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season is only a few days away for the New England Patriots, as they are slated to play the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.
The Patriots are determined to redeem themselves after the last game against Miami in Foxboro, when the Dolphins managed another miracle which pushed them to a 27-24 victory and cost the Patriots a first-round bye in the playoffs last season.
Here are the top three stats you need to know going into New England's season opener, via Next Gen Stats.
320 Passing Yards
Earlier this week, Dolphins head coach Brian Flores named Ryan Fitzpatrick as the team's week 1 starting quarterback. Bill Belichick has already discussed Fitzpatrick's unpredictability and how that will be an advantage for Miami this Sunday. And if Fitzpatrick can get into a rhythm like in Week 17 last season, this will be a close game.
Fitzpatrick completed 28 of 41 passes for 320 total passing yards in that game. He also had one touchdown pass and no interceptions, which combined with a lackluster Patriots performance and a game winning drive with less than four minutes left was one of Fitzpatrick's better games of the 2019 season.
Fitzpatrick coming off of one of his better seasons, with 3529 passing yards and 20 touchdown passes in 15 games for the Dolphins. However, the word consistent doesn't always come up in the Fitzpatrick conversation. There's a reason he's been on eight different teams since entering the league in 2005.
If New England lets Fitzpatrick and the Dolphins offense march down the field like they did in the regular season finale last year, they'll be in line to start the season 0-1.
74 Yards, One Touchdown
The Patriots blew the Dolphins out of the water in rushing performance last December. New England had a total of 126 yards with a big performance from Sony Michel, who had 18 carries for 74 yards and one rushing touchdown. Miami only rushed for 62 yards with Fitzpatrick as one of their leading rushers.
Although Michel's health has been less than 100 percent this summer, James White and Rex Burkhead are more than capable of providing support in the backfield if Michel can't play.
If Michel is available for Sunday's game, New England should rely heavily on their loaded backfield.
58.3%
The last time these two teams met, the Patriots' pass rush was far superior to that of the Dolphins. Dont'a Hightower, Adam Butler, Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins combined for 11 tackles and a 58.3 percent disruption rate. Collins also had one sack.
Those four players were a critical part of the Patriots' no. 1 ranked defense last season. However, both Van Noy and Collins departed this offseason during free agency. Collins headed to Detroit and Van Noy to Miami. Not to mention that Hightower was one of the first players to opt-out of this season due to COVID-19 concerns.
Will the Patriots be the same defensive powerhouse with a new lineup? Putting pressure on Fitzpatrick and not allowing him to get into any sort of rhythm will be a key to success if the Patriots want a shot at a Week 1 win.
