Mac is really good (definitely better than Tua) and he's only going to get better. There were things around him that were frustrating (fumbles, big plays given up by the defense, poor officiating), but Mac was largely good with few exceptions. You can also tell just how raw he is, and the fact that he is as poised/developed as he is given this rawness is impressive. In 2-3 seasons (let alone later this season), when he's a bit more physically matured and has assimilated to the NFL workload/pace, he's going to be silly good (assuming he can stay healthy, of course, which is always the ultimate in sports). If Mac stays healthy and continues to develop, I expect that'll keep Belichick around for a longer rather than shorter time (if Belichick's in a place where he's actively thinking about that type of thing).
The defense is talented but big plays hurt them today. They need to trim those down. The Parker catch over Jackson was some Manningham/Julio type of spectacular'ness - tip the cap. Waddle's catch on Jones was also pretty darn good - hard to criticize Jones much on that one, just a better play by the offense.
The other defensive bugaboos seemed to be WRs having too much time/space - wished they were a bit more disruptive with them at the LOS (to the Dolphins' credit, they had some good offensive play-calls). Another big issue was the inability to stop the run late. The Pats' D looked solid against the run for most of the game and generally the defense won their battle in the trench, but their inability to be physical and get stops late was tough to see. I'll give them a pass because they played well for most of the game and they were likely gassed, it being the first regular season game coming off a shortened preseason. It needs to be better, though.
Likewise, the offense needs to look for more big plays and play with a bit more pace and decisiveness; they definitely seemed to be keeping a lot of powder dry and trying to take Mac slowly. I'm sure that'll come with time and as Mac gains confidence.
Penalties and turnovers hurt - probably cost them the game. Between the phantom hold and the Harris' fumble, that was anywhere from 7-10 points wiped off the board.
Harris looked really good until that dirty play by the 'Phins player where he (with two hands) ripped Harris' helmet off, and he got dinged as a result. Seemed Harris lost about 10-15% of his juice after that. Rhamondre now has 2 fumbles on his record since joining the team and didn't see any playing time in the 2nd half. Taylor, who I love, never played an offensive snap as far as I know. JMO, but it might've been wise to give Rhamondre or Taylor an opportunity late: their legs were fresh and potentially could've given the run game some extra pop to push the ball in the endzone.
Poor officiating in general. First half was really bad to the Pats; second half was a bit more neutral in its badness. Inconsistent all game. That hold on the Harris' TD run (#74) was called on a player who did not exist on the field. Maybe I'm being unreasonable, but IMO, a penalty should not be enforceable if the official cannot accurately articulate who the penalty is on. If it was on Wynn, then I call horseshit. (I'll gladly recant my officiating rant if there's a good angle showing a legitimate hold by Wynn, but I saw nothing that deserved a penalty).
Final thought on officiating: I know it was darn close, but I'm still not convinced that the Rhamondre fumble was actually a fumble. I'm not sure what the officials saw, but the telecast never showed a proper look at the play with it slowed down enough to make an accurate judgment. I'm dubious. If that wasn't ruled a fumble, Rhamondre likely continues to play and who knows what impact that may have had on the outcome.
I think this is a good team. 13-14 wins if they really hunker down, play to their potential, and Mac progresses at a rapid pace. 10-11 wins if they play to this level today. 12 is probably where I'd set the line.
I do think Miami is a legitimately good, at least in terms of talent, and played darn well today. Tua is inconsistent but can make big plays. Their offensive weapons are dynamic. Their defense is big physical, and smart to the Pats' offense given the Flores connection. Big, athletic front-7 and a top-10, possibly top-5 secondary. I'm not sure that record-wise Miami will necessarily be a top team (12+ wins), but they remind me of the Ravens/Jets of the early 2010s in terms of how they matchup against New England. They're smart to the scheme and they have the defensive horses to execute. Those games were always tough to watch and often ended in losses. The recent games against Miami (even before Brady left) have felt similar. Give Flores a lot of credit for what he is doing there.
(As a slight aside, Jaelan Phillips is going to be a special player if he stays healthy - he's one I wanted the Pats to get before the draft and I'm still smarting that Miami nabbed him. On the balance, though, Wynn did a really good job on him this afternoon).
In terms of time of possession and ball control philosophy: part of the issue with shortening the game is if you don't score TDs in the red zone and/or you turn the ball over, you really compound those mistakes by chopping a lot of time off the clock. It's great that the defense was rested for a lot of the game, but it felt Mac and the offense probably should've been able to find another 1-2 possessions before that game was over. Offensive opportunities in the form of possessions felt limited.
As a closing thought: I know Belichick's teams historically have a slow ramp-up into the season but I think he needs to put greater urgency on these early season division games. While these games may not mean much in terms of how teams are playing in 2-3 months, they do potentially move the needle in terms of playoff seeding. That said, I'd much rather lose today and win in Miami in January to clinch the division (the inverse of what we saw last season).
