MIAMI — For all the warranted hype about the changes the Miami Dolphins made this offseason, the unit that remained virtually intact paced it to its first victory on Sunday against the New England Patriots.
The Dolphins’ defense forced three key turnovers and stifled the Patriots for the majority of a 20-7 win at Hard Rock Stadium.
It was Miami’s fourth consecutive win against New England and second in as many games after the Dolphins closed out the 2021 season with a win over the Patriots at home.
The Dolphins forced a recovered a pair of fumbles and set the tone on the Patriots’ first drive when Jevon Holland intercepted Mac Jones off a deflection in the end zone by Xavien Howard.
Holland made the first big play of what many think could be a breakout season to end the Patriots’ first drive. Howard tipped up a pass intended for former Dolphins receiver DeVante Parker in the corner of the end zone allowing Holland to run underneath and pick up his first interception of the season.
Miami held New England to 78 yards rushing and the Patriots only crossed the Dolphins’ 40 twice.
The Dolphins sacked Jones twice with the first resulting in Miami’s first touchdown of the season.
Brandon Jones went untouched on a safety blitz and he jarred the ball loose from Mac Jones allowing Melvin Ingram to grab it on a high bounce with his left hand and return it two yards into the end zone.
Jones completed 21 of 30 passes for 213 yards and his 6-yard touchdown pass to Ty Montgomery capped New England’s long scoring drive.
Tua Tagovailoa became the first quarterback to ever start his career 4-0 against a Bill Belichick-coached team. Tagovailoa completed 23 of 33 passes for 270 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.
Tyreek Hill didn’t find the end zone in his first game as a Dolphin, but led the team with eight catches for 94 yards and showed off the electric playmaking ability that Miami hopes will elevate its offense this season.
That lone touchdown pass came on a gamble right before the half when Tagovailoa and Jaylen Waddle ran a play they did countless times in college at Alabama.
On fourth-and-8 from New England’s 42 with 18 seconds left, Tagovailoa hit Jaylen Waddle on a slant over the middle. Waddle raced past both converging defenders and scored to give Miami a 17-0 lead at the half.
The Dolphins defense made the final key stops late to hold off the Patriots.
With New England facing a fourth and 3 at the 50, the Patriots were called for holding even as Jones’ pass was dropped in coverage by tight end Hunter Henry.
On the Patriots’ final offensive series, cornerback Kader Kohou hit Nelson Agholor, popping the ball free and allowing Jaelan Phillips to recover with 4:55 left to effectively seal the win.
The Dolphins also showed signs they could be one of the better special teams units in the NFL this season.
Although it would result in their lone touchdown drive in the third quarter, the Patriots needed to go 92 yards to make it happen thanks to a great open field tackle by Justin Bethel on Myles Bryant as soon as he caught Thomas Morstead’s punt.
Keion Crossen also made a key play when he downed another Morstead punt at the Patriots’ 5 with 6:06 left in the fourth.
