T’was a Sunday that featured the battle of two familiar AFC east rivals. After Tom Brady’s retirement and a series of wide receiver trades, the New England Patriots had been successfully rebuilding around quarterback Mac Jones, who exceeded expectations and performed admirably well last season. This season has been a completely different story for the Alabama alum. Jones is averaging 207 yards per game and has just one more touchdown than interceptions.
The Dolphins, on the other hand, had been enjoying a great season and headed into this October 29th game with a 5-2 record. The final score of 31 for the Dolphins to 17 for the Patriots wasn’t a surprise. The manner in which they attained this result, however, was a definite surprise. One of the positive takeaways is a W, but perhaps the important positive result is that the Dolphins proved they can win games in a number of different ways.
In recent years, the Patriots have been plagued by poor play from their wide receivers. One of the more promising recent acquisitions, JuJu Smith-Schuster, came up with his first big play with the Patriots on this Sunday in late October. However, it still wasn’t enough to turn the tide of the game in the Pats’ favor.
Dolphins demonstrate balance on all sides of the ball
Miami’s defense created game-changing chaos as their running game did not produce the astounding numbers we have grown used to recently. The Dolphins didn’t need to win the game with their ground attack because of the support the defense provided. Their physicality on defense limited the passing attack orchestrated by quarterback Mac Jones. Also crucial was that Miami’s defense was very stingy when it came to giving up passes over 20 yards. Jones had one for 24 yards. With a majority of short throws, he finished with 161 total yards on 19/29 passes.
A play call for the ages
Miami’s calling card, their pre-snap motion offense, played a huge part at a key moment. On a hugely significant 3rd and 1, Miami coach Mike McDaniel gathered his troops together, and called a time out that allowed him to coordinate the pre-snap motion play call. The play secured a touchdown for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle on 3rd and 1. The time and score following the play were indicative of a Dolphins win.
It is unusual this year for the Dolphins to struggle running the ball. Yet this was the case on this particular Sunday – especially in the second half. This, in turn, put a lot of pressure on Tua to make plays, and he threw 45 times. He persevered and adapted to the circumstances en route to a 31-17 win. Overall, it was a positive outing for him as he put up 324 yards and finished with a passer rating of 100.6.
The issue of quarterback play
On the other side, the passing attack by Mac Jones was an ongoing struggle. He fell down the ranks of NFL quarterbacks to 24th with a 40.3 QBR, while Tua ranks 6th among quarterbacks with a QBR of 65.3. The Patriots were able to keep the score as close as they did because they were able to score on two turnovers the Dolphins committed.
There was still time on the clock for Jones to put together a drive that would mean a closer final score and give his team something to build on. All-pro Miami safety Jalen Ramsey put an end to those ambitions. His interception essentially sealed the game. Mac Jones insisted that he was not surprised by the coverage. He went on to say, “I just made a bad throw really late. I didn’t really drive it. That’s what happens on that play, the guy either takes it and it’s a touchdown or the guy falls off and nothing happens.”
The word around the league
The Dolphins improved to 6-2 after this game, a record they’d enjoy until last Sunday’s international showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs. Not only was that a clash of two epic teams but, for the Dolphins, it also marked another loss against a team with a winning record.
Miami’s naysayers were still loud and numerous, pointing to a relatively easy schedule for the Dolphins in the first half of the season. The chatter is both prevalent and ubiquitous, as it echoes to the effect that all of their wins came against teams with losing records. The six teams they beat have a combined record of 13 wins to 33 losses. After last Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs, the Dolphins went to 0-3 against teams with winning records.