Game Day Thread Official Post-Game Thread: Week 1 - Pats lose to Dolphins 17-16

[Guts]

Just 1 game but it was in the division and every game matters even in September this game could be the difference. Can't lose next game against the Jetsies

 

[Pats2000]

Huh? Then why play him? That's dumb (not you). He was getting the ball out fast. You've got two monster TEs. He throws 1 TD instead of a FG, game over. Uggg

You dont know what you have in a rookie until you are a few games in. The more he makes good decisions, shows his ability in the cerebral side of the game and makes plays, the more they will put it in his hands. Just wait

 

[DropKickFlutie]

From Phil Perry:
- Mac was hit 9 times not 7. So even worse.
- They went 12 personnel 12 of 16 snaps in the 1st quarter. That means they went away from it later on (all of this validates prior observation)

Perry's Report Card: Mac deserves high marks for poise under pressure

Despite a tough loss to the Dolphins on Sunday, the Patriots should be encouraged by what Mac Jones showed in his debut. Our Phil Perry hands out his grades for Jones and the rest of New England’s positional groups in Week 1.

www.nbcsports.com

 

[PatsFanSince74]

This is a good team with a very good rookie QB for whom the sky is the limit as long as his protection holds up a little better than it did today.

The difference between a 9--8 season and a 13--4 season will be a few plays, a few calls and a few breaks. I think today's finish pretty much proves that.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

Huh? Then why play him? That's dumb (not you). He was getting the ball out fast. You've got two monster TEs. He throws 1 TD instead of a FG, game over. Uggg

Current OC sees tight ends as basically blockers. He has zero clue how to use 2 TEs at the same time. It will be apparent over the rest of the month. In the red zone we should never be in 11 personnel. Should be 2 TEs and the defense has no clue what is about to happen.

 

[catent]

Turnovers and bad officiating aside. The Dolphins had 2 touchdowns and a FG with their 3 excursions into the red zone. The Patriots got one TD and 3 FGs in their 4 trips. That’s the game folks.

The Dolphins wanted to run the ball in the red zone and the Pats failed to stop them twice. The Patriots wanted to run the ball in the red zone and the Dolphins stopped them all four times they tried including the Harris fumble which was good, swarming defense as much as it was carelessness with the ball.

There are lies, damn lies and statistics. You can play with numbers and averages all you want, but the Pats have to be able to stop offenses from running the ball on them at will on short yardage, goal line and end game situations or they’re going to lose games the rest of the team is good enough to win like today.

On offense, McDaniels game calling was very uneven. He put too much on Jones at times and too little at other times. They’ve got to throw the ball more out of run formations especially in the red zone to stop teams from selling out so much stopping the Pats run game.

IMO, the Pats stopped the run well enough to win. There were critical moments in which they could've done a better job of stopping the run that would've increased their odds of winning, but ultimately had Harris not fumbled, the team was positioned to go ahead with ~2 minutes remaining.

Red-zone efficiency is high on the list of reasons they lost, and I would argue turnovers is the other half of the equation. The run defense was pretty good on the balance, but like you said needs to be better at critical junctures.

 

[catent]

That Miami pass rush is legit. They're going to be high on the list of QB hits at the end of the year given how much Flores blitzes and some of the horses they have.

Jaelan Phillips is gonna be a stud if he stays healthy. Saw lots of blitzers coming free late so it's hard to gauge how much was the fault of the OL and how much was due to Miami bringing more rushers than the Pats could block.

Once the Pats swapped out Herron for Durant, that really settled them down upfront. If Trent Brown stays healthy, they might win that game on that alone. As always, health is key.

 

[Schmo]

I've got many thoughts, but just a few...

I was encouraged by our wrs.

Mac's play action is pretty killer.

It's a good sign that he has realized how important White is.

I'm bummed that we lost, but I actually had a lot of fun watching the game for the first time in a long time.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

I've got many thoughts, but just a few...

I was encouraged by our wrs.

Mac's play action is pretty killer.

It's a good sign that he has realized how important White is.

I'm bummed that we lost, but I actually had a lot of fun watching the game for the first time in a long time.

Play action out of 12 personnel, when they get going Mac might have a near perfect passer rating in this particular play type. I'm talking with an intellligent offensive staff in the future.

 

[scott99]

That’s why I hate those signings so much. Two tight ends getting paid Gronk/Kelce money and neither is close to an elite red zone threat. They’re good players but not great ones.

Smith was tied for 3rd in the NFL in TD catches by an TE with 8. One more than Gronk.

 

[FredFromDartmouth]

I think some of that was on Mac. He'll gain some confidence, throw harder and earlier. Those will get completed.

I thought Mac was superb, but his receivers were just not getting open enough. Look at how many times he had to look off the primary and try to find a secondary receiver. Sometimes the secondary was not open either, and he had to throw it away or try to thread it in there; when he did, his throws were incredibly accurate. It must have been very frustrating for Mac after the WRs he had in 'Bama. The WR situation for the Patriots is a disgrace; here we have the best rookie QB in the NFL, but with few options to throw to.

The defense was also superb, but you cannot win a lot of game if you cannot score more than 16 points. At this point Miami looks like a very tough team, and it looks like it has been specifically constructed to kill the Patriots. And it will get worse, thanks to SF and the draft picks that they gave, and I mean gave to Miami. Waddle was a nightmare to cover in college and will be a nightmare be in the pros. It will be interesting to see if the elite CBs in the NFL will be able to keep up with him.

 

[Deus Irae]

We always play poorly at Miami. It's not a big surprise that we lost. Rather it was the way it happened. It felt like Mac Jones was making a drive for a comeback score, but then Damien Harries fumbles inside the 10 yard line. Big OOPSIE!

Growing Pains. Don't expect Mac Jones to be a stud straight away. Believe it or not he's still a rookie. There's still a part of me that wonders do we win this game if Cam Newton starts. But we cut ties, possibly to take away pressure from results like today, so obviously we are taking chances with the youngster, and let what happens, happen.

The Patriots were the home team.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

I thought Mac was superb, but his receivers were just not getting open enough. Look at how many times he had to look off the primary and try to find a secondary receiver. Sometimes the secondary was not open either, and he had to throw it away or try to thread it in there; when he did, his throws were incredibly accurate. It must have been very frustrating for Mac after the WRs he had in 'Bama. The WR situation for the Patriots is a disgrace; here we have the best rookie QB in the NFL, but with few options to throw to.

The defense was also superb, but you cannot win a lot of game if you cannot score more than 16 points. At this point Miami looks like a very tough team, and it looks like it has been specifically constructed to kill the Patriots. And it will get worse, thanks to SF and the draft picks that they gave, and I mean gave to Miami. Waddle was a nightmare to cover in college and will be a nightmare be in the pros. It will be interesting to see if the elite CBs in the NFL will be able to keep up with him.

Mac threw for 74% completion which is excellent. This includes multiple batted balls. Threw to 8 different guys. Against an elite Miami secondary.

Seems like the pass catchers are just fine.

 

[Lagaffe_07]

Why would we take away his good play? If we take away he's bad play he had a hell of a game.

He was average today. Basically a Blount performance.

Blount was a king for that. Runs for less than 3 y/c all game but take one run for 30 yards that made the stats looks good

 

[DropKickFlutie]

He was average today. Basically a Blount performance.

Blount was a king for that. Runs for less than 3 y/c all game but take one run for 30 yards that made the stats looks good

Not sure why you're talking about Blount disparagingly. He won multiple rings. Same as Antwain Smith. Pats do great with guys who grind 3-4 yards a carry, chew the clock, are tough and don't fumble. It's why I love Harris and was never a fan of Michel or Maroney. Pats do great with guys who have trucking ability and move the pile, not guys who dance around or are soft.

 

[tom444]

From Phil Perry:
- Mac was hit 9 times not 7. So even worse.
- They went 12 personnel 12 of 16 snaps in the 1st quarter. That means they went away from it later on (all of this validates prior observation)

Perry's Report Card: Mac deserves high marks for poise under pressure

Despite a tough loss to the Dolphins on Sunday, the Patriots should be encouraged by what Mac Jones showed in his debut. Our Phil Perry hands out his grades for Jones and the rest of New England’s positional groups in Week 1.

www.nbcsports.com

Jones didn't change his demeanor one iota after taking those hits. Very impressive.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

Jones didn't change his demeanor one iota after taking those hits. Very impressive.

Kid is tough as nails. He's brave. But it's on the Pats to keep the kid healthy. 9 hits is not acceptable every week.

 

[scott99]

Not sure why you're talking about Blount disparagingly. He won multiple rings. Same as Antwain Smith. Pats do great with guys who grind 3-4 yards a carry, chew the clock, are tough and don't fumble. It's why I love Harris and was never a fan of Michel or Maroney. Pats do great with guys who have trucking ability and move the pile, not guys who dance around or are soft.

Blount was a beast. Loved him. He was better than Michel, Maroney and a lot of backs the Pats have had. Harris reminds me of Stevan Ridley. Not huge backs, but powerful. Unfortunately the fumble reminded me of Ridley as well. But I think Harris will have an excellent career. I think he’ll correct his mistakes. He’s a smart kid, and not typically a fumbler.

 

[tom444]

Kid is tough as nails. He's brave. But it's on the Pats to keep the kid healthy. 9 hits is not acceptable every week.

Agree, they gotta do a better job of protecting him.

 

[farn]

I wish BB didn’t put Stephenson on ice after the fumble. I feel like Harris was over used for a week 1 game and that contributed to his fumble.

When he returned, he wasn’t able to block an incoming defender, which - I figure - was the last straw for that game…