The New England Patriots’ first division matchup of the season will be a battle of 0-1 teams. Both the Patriots and Miami Dolphins lost their season openers, putting both teams under quite a bit of pressure already this early in the season.
In order to find out more about the Dolphins, we reached out to Kevin Nogle of Pats Pulpit’s sister site The Phinsider — the SB Nation community for all things Dolphins. Here is what he told us about the upcoming game and what to expect from New England’s Week
2 opponent.
1. How hot is Mike McDaniel’s seat in Miami after Sunday’s 33-8 loss? Did he put players in the best position to succeed?
I have no idea what the Dolphins did last week. They just looked they were playing preseason Game 4 instead of regular season Game 1. They started the game flat, never found any sense of energy, and the score reflects just an ugly performance all around.
That falls squarely at the feet of McDaniel — though you would think professionals would be prepared to do their job when it is required. McDaniel is definitely on the hot seat after a team-wide performance like that and if they do not come out with a better performance on Sunday, I am not sure he makes it to the half-way mark of the season.
And I say that as someone who thinks McDaniel can be a good head coach in the league. I see some of what he is trying to do, making the players more responsible for themselves, making them true professionals rather than relying on the term professional simply because they get paid to play a game. He has a great idea of how impactful an offense can be. But, since last year, we are not seeing adjustments and the spark is missing. He either needs to find a way to bring it back, or Miami will be looking for a new head coach fairly quickly.
2. Passer rating can be deceiving, but a 51.7 passer rating and two interceptions in Week 1 are jarring for a veteran like Tua Tagovailoa. Was there more to his stat line than meets the eye? Or is there a bigger issue at the quarterback?
Part of it was the team’s overall performance, but Tagovailoa had a particularly poor game. There is a difference between making mistakes but then bouncing back in an effective offense, and Miami’s abysmal Week 1 offense. The first interception was a badly overthrown pass. The second was Tagovailoa pressing and throwing a ball he should not have thrown. Both fall on him.
Former Dolphins, now Colts, cornerback Xavien Howard told the media after the game that they knew if they took away Tagovailoa’s initial read, he would go into “panic mode.” On Sunday, it seemed that way. The Dolphins’ offense is built on timing and quick decision-making. When the timing was off against Indianapolis, Tagovailoa could not seem to settle the offense and find his other reads.
Tagovailoa is a really good quarterback, as his 2023 performance showed. But 2024 and Week 1 2025 are making that statement harder to justify.
3. The Dolphins invested in the trenches on both sides of the ball this offseason. How are those additions looking, and how will Miami adapt to the losses of RT Austin Jackson and RG James Daniel?
Prayer? The Dolphins did a good job this year in updating their starting offensive line, providing protection for Tagovailoa and opening lanes for running back De’Von Achane. The depth behind the top five is a giant question mark. The line has been an issue for so long, it is hard to expect a complete turn around in one season, but they appear to have had it if they could stay healthy. Unfortunately, they have not stayed healthy.
Larry Borom will likely start in Jackson’s place. There will be plenty of concern about the team’s ability to protect Tagovailoa’s blind side. Add in the question mark around right guard, where James Daniels went on IR this seek, and the right side of the line could be a mess this weekend. Cole Strange, the former Patriots lineman, was poached off the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad and could find himself starting at right guard, or Miami could look to Kion Smith to man the position.
The line is a major concern right now and there are not a lot of clear cut answers.
4. Daniel Jones earned a 115.9 passer rating against the Dolphins. How was he able to find so much success?
The Dolphins opened the season with the cornerbacks the biggest area of concern on the roster, and Week 1 reinforced that issue. Jones looked like an MVP candidate with how easily he carved apart the Miami defense. It was painful to watch.
The Miami front seven, specifically pass rushers Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, and Matthew Judon, were supposed to take the pressure off the cornerbacks by not giving opposing quarterbacks the time to make a play. That did not happen and Jones was able to run around and make passes or scramble through the middle of the defense.
The Dolphins need the pass rushers to make Drake Maye uncomfortable early on Sunday or else they will see a repeat of last week’s misery.
5. The Patriots are listed as 2.5-point underdogs on the road. What happens if they pull off the upset? What happens if they drop another game in Miami?
If New England wins on Sunday, things are going to be really ugly in South Florida. They face the Buffalo Bills on Thursday in Week 3, so the season will very quickly feel like a snowball that is picking up speed. They need to have a strong performance at home to at least settle the fans and the speculation for a week.
If Miami wins this game, it probably does not do a lot for making the playoffs or reducing the stress on the team. Being completely blown out in Week 1 is not something fans are going to forget quickly.
The Dolphins’ offense is going to have to look like the 70-point explosive unit from 2023 if they want the fans to feel like they are actually bouncing back from last week and last year.
