Patriots Week 2 Report Card In Win Over Miami
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The Patriots gutted out a 33-27 win in Miami of all places to get Mike Vrabel his first win as the Patriots’ head coach. With several lead changes, the game went back and forth, but the team showed some resilience against a Dolphins team that is on the precipice of collapsing.
It wasn’t all pretty; there were plenty of bad penalties, mistakes, and other correctable errors that will need to be tightened up.
But getting a win in the NFL is not an easy task, and for the Patriots, that is especially true in Miami, where they have struggled for years. So, they will take it when they can get it. Miami had won the last four meetings overall, and Tua Tagovailoa had been 7-0 against the Patriots.
The Patriots got superb performances from Drake Maye and Rhamondre Stevenson on offense as the team scored 30+ points for the first time in nearly three seasons.
So, as we always do, let’s break it down by position
Drake Maye had his best game as a professional on Sunday. He was cool, efficient, and had his first signature “put the team on his back” kind of performance. There was a noticeable decisiveness in his reads, and he looked much more comfortable in the pocket.
Maye finished 19-23 for 230 yards with two touchdown passes for a passer rating of 137.3. Both of his TD passes were really nice throws, especially his second, to Kayshon Boutte, which was a dime.
But his best pass of the day was the 55-yarder to Stevenson, where he stepped up in the pocket to elude Jaelen Phillips, and dropped a beauty on a wheel route down the field. Maye rushed for 31 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown.
Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson were both big reasons why the Patriots were able to come away with a hard-fought win on Sunday.
Stevenson rushed for 54 yards on 11 carries (4.9-yard avg), and had his best game in over a year; he also added 88 yards receiving, including the aforementioned 55-yard reception from Maye where he showed some nice moves after the catch.
Gibson had just five carries for 27 yards (5.4-yard avg), but it was his 90-yard kickoff return that gave the Patriots the lead they wouldn’t give back.
But TreVeyon Henderson had a bad day, and that knocked down the grade. He allowed two sacks in pass protection, which is his strong suit, and was whistled for holding. He did, however, have a pair of 15-yard receptions.
The wide receivers were not generating many targets in the passing game on Sunday. While Mack Hollins and Kayshon Boutte each had touchdown catches in the game, it was their only receptions on the day.
Stefon Diggs had four catches for 32 yards but had a big 4th down conversion on the Patriots’ first drive, moving the chains and helping set up the touchdown pass to Hollins a few plays later.
But the most troubling for the second week in a row was the absence of Demario Douglas as a factor in the passing game. Douglas was expected to be a huge factor in Josh McDaniels’ passing offense, and it may still happen, but it’s been disappointing to see him only targeted once. We know he can play…
The Patriots’ tight ends didn’t factor much in the passing game either. Austin Hooper had three catches for 38 yards on just three targets. Hunter Henry had just one catch for nine yards.
Henry was flagged once, and the duo’s blocking, which isn’t their best attribute, was only okay. Overall, more was expected with the TEs (and WRs) going against another secondary that wasn’t highly regarded.
The offensive line had a pretty solid day against the Dolphins’ talented front four.
They opened holes for the running game to generate 122 yards rushing and a 4.1-yard average for the game. Against that Miami front, that was a good day at the office.
The pass protection was also solid. Miami can get after the opposing QBs, but Maye was pressured on only 22 percent of his dropbacks, which showed marked improvement over Week 1.
What hurt them was the penalties which knocked down the grade. False starts were an issue and it was putting the offense too many times behind the sticks. That has to improve, especially when they face better teams.
The defensive line was playing against a makeshift offensive line on the right side of Miami’s. They were struggling to get home against Tua because he was releasing the ball in about two seconds. That’s a coverage issue, not a pass rush issue (More below).
But they held Miami to just 61 yards rushing, which is another big game for them. And when the secondary was able to hold up long enough, the pass rush did get home. The Patriots had five sacks, all of which came on third or fourth down.
Milton Williams had the big sack that iced the game.
The linebackers didn’t have a good day in the tackling department. Marte Mapu, Christian Ellis, and, surprisingly, Robert Spillane, were all guilty of missing tackles. That has to get cleaned up soon.
Miami was able to isolate Spillane in coverage against the dangerous De’Von Achane, which is a matchup nightmare for any linebacker. However, Spillane and Ellis were strong against the run. Mapu chipped in with an interception, which was nice to see.
Tua picked on the secondary again, passing for 315 yards while going 26-31 with two touchdowns and one interception. The Patriots came in wanting to compete in the middle of the field, where the quick throws are a staple of Miami’s offense.
That was not successful, granted Miami has a plethora of speed in the passing game with Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Achane.
Alex Austin, particularly, had a tough day, and those will happen against that Miami receiving group. Rookie Craig Woodson had an up-and-down day. Jaylin Hawkins had an interception wiped out by a penalty.
The team needs Christian Gonzalez back — and soon. If his timetable is pushed back much further, there is old friend Stephon Gilmore still unsigned…
The ST units had a “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times” kind of day. The worst of times… four penalties, a 74-yard punt return for a touchdown allowed, and two missed extra points.
The best of times? After struggling with EP misses, Andy Borregales nailed two field goals, the last a 53-yarder that iced the game. Bryce Barringer had a 68-yard average for his punts. And there was that 90-yard kickoff return for the game-winning touchdown. That kind of leaves us in the middle for a grade.
Mike Vrabel had his first win as a Patriots’ head coach and deserves his props. Josh McDaniels came up with an excellent game plan where the offense moved the ball well and was very efficient.
The Patriots’ possessions were as follows: TD, TD, FG, Kneel at the end of the half, Punt, TD, Punt, TD, FG, Kneel.
The defense, without Defensive Coordinator Terrell Williams, had its struggles in the passing game again. Zak Kuhr got his first experience calling the plays and it was an up-and-down game for him. But they got a couple of big stops at the end when they needed it most.
So, we’re done with Miami until Week 18; we’re on to the Steelers game. Check back later for our key matchups.
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