Like last week, the New England Patriots had a chance to crash the party for a more talented team in the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. Instead, it ended in heartbreak and disappointment once again for New England.
For a second consecutive week, they blew an opportunity for a comeback victory late in the fourth quarter.
Buy Patriots TicketsAn attempted lateral pass to offensive guard Cole Strange was caught but ruled short of the sticks on a fourth down that ultimately ended the game for the Patriots. With the loss, the Patriots are now 0-2 on the season and dead last in the AFC East division.
Here are the studs and duds from Sunday’s game:
Jahlani Tavai (DUD)
Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai struggled in containment on the edge in multiple plays. One of those plays led to Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert escaping and waltzing right into the end zone for the first touchdown of the game.
It was a night of bad tackling and poor angles from Tavai, particularly in the first half.
The veteran linebacker will have a rough day in the film room looking at some of the plays he left on the field. Of course, it wasn’t all bad from Tavai, who is usually a tackling machine in New England. But he did struggle to step up when the Patriots needed him most.
Brenden Schooler (STUD)
When a play needed to be made, Patriots safety Brenden Schooler came through on special teams with a blocked field goal.
An argument could be made that Matthew Slater is the greatest special teams player of all time. If there was ever a candidate to take over as one of the leaders of the unit when he leaves, it would be Schooler.
TEXTBOOK FG BLOCK 🗣️@SchoolerBrenden | #ForeverNE
📺: @SNFonNBC pic.twitter.com/VHHh7XwwCh
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 18, 2023
This was one of the few highlights for the Patriots on a frustrating night. Perhaps the worst part was the fact that the offense turned the ball over and gave it right back to the Dolphins after this incredible play.
Demario Douglas (DUD)
Demario Douglas has otherworldly potential on the football field, but that still didn’t stop coach Bill Belichick from benching him for the entire second half after he fumbled the ball in the first quarter.
Some might disagree with that decision considering the sputtering Patriots offense could have used Douglas’ help late in the game. One could also simply chalk the turnover up as Dolphins defender Bradley Chubb making a great play.
But at this point, Belichick is probably willing to do whatever he has to do to improve ball security. Last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, Mac Jones threw an interception, and Ezekiel Elliott fumbled the ball away. This week, Jones threw an interception, and Douglas fumbled the ball away.
Christian Gonzalez (STUD)
Christian Gonzalez is the real deal.
He mostly held Dolphins wideout Tyreek Hill in check in matchups. Granted, nobody in the NFL can completely shut down the Dolphins’ speedy wideout, but the Patriots rookie first-round draft pick surely gave him all he could handle.
He even snagged his first ever NFL interception in Sunday’s game.
Rook's 1️⃣s INT @chrisgonzo28 | #ForeverNE
📺: @SNFonNBC pic.twitter.com/uNiOwoI2BK
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 18, 2023
Gonzalez is going to be a fun player to watch as he continues to grow as a professional.
He’s a very instinctual player with tremendous technique and athleticism. Taking him with the No. 17 overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft is beginning to look like a home run pick for the Patriots.
Calvin Anderson (DUD)
Calvin Anderson ended up being a huge letdown in this game for the Patriots. Keep in mind, the team was already missing veteran left tackle Trent Brown, and there was hope that a veteran like Anderson could play well enough at right tackle to offset any issues the Patriots saw at left tackle.
The hopes came crashing down in a hurry as Anderson constantly struggled against Miami’s defensive playmakers, most notably linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel.
Andrew Van Ginkel cruised past Calvin Anderson for a huge hit on Mac Jones. #Patriots #Dolphins pic.twitter.com/0o3VDPQfIO
— Henry McKenna (@henrycmckenna) September 18, 2023
Patriots quarterback Mac Jones was consistently under pressure to the point where he took big time sacks and failed to make the critical plays to win the game. It obviously wasn’t all on Anderson, and there were other backbreaking mistakes that cost the Patriots.
Myles Bryant (STUD)
Myles Bryant might have given up some plays in the game, but he also made plays for the Patriots. It was a pleasant surprise considering all of the injuries the team has been dealing with over the last few weeks.
Bryant was seemingly in an impossible situation filling in for an injured Marcus Jones, who went down with a shoulder injury earlier in the game. He was suddenly tasked with helping to defend both Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
That sounds like a lose-lose situation on the surface, but Bryant hung tough with six tackles, including two for a loss and one pass deflection.
Hunter Henry (STUD)
Hunter Henry was once again Mr. Dependable for quarterback Mac Jones in this game. He tied for the most receptions and scored the first touchdown for the Patriots.
Bill O’Brien has done a tremendous job of getting the tight ends more involved in the offense, and it has paid off with great consecutive outings from Henry, who finished Sunday’s game with five receptions for 52 yards.
The tight ends continued to show up in a big way for a Patriots team clearly lacking in big-time offensive playmakers.
WR DeVante Parker (STUD)
After missing the first week of the regular season, DeVante Parker bounced back in a strong way with six receptions for a team-high 57 yards. That yard total is a bummer in the grand scheme of things, but Parker was clearly the Patriots’ best receiver on the field in this game.
Kendrick Bourne cooled off significantly after last week’s two-touchdown performance, but Parker was right back in the mix making plays on Sunday.
Talent has never been an issue with Parker as much as his ability to stay healthy. When he’s on the field, he can be a consistent playmaker for the Patriots.
Patriots defensive line (DUD)
This was a rough night for the Patriots’ defensive front.
Tua Tagovailoa was only sacked once in the game, and he used his legs to run around in the pocket and extend plays. Even worse, the Patriots got trounced by Miami’s rushing attack.
The defensive unit gave up 144 yards and two touchdowns in the game. It was a disappointing showing for a defensive group that is known for having talent at every level. That still wasn’t enough to overcome a fiery Dolphins team hell-bent on overtaking the AFC East.
