In a highly anticipated matchup between the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots, the Dolphins emerged victorious with a 24-17 win on Sunday night.
Despite a promising performance against the Eagles last week, the Patriots’ offence struggled to make any significant headway against the Dolphins’ defence.
The team was only able to average 4.1 yards per play and managed a mere 88 rushing yards.
To make matters worse, their only play that went over 14 yards was a Mac Jones scramble.
The lack of explosive weapons on the Patriots team was evident and they will have to rely on a more methodical, plodding style of play while their defence plays well.
Bill Belichick, the legendary head coach of the Patriots, is known for his ability to take away what the opponent does best.
Against the Dolphins, he focused his strategy on taking away Tyreek Hill, which seemed to work as Hill only managed to accumulate 40 receiving yards.
However, the Dolphins found success elsewhere and exploited the Patriots defence in other areas. The Patriots were hoping that the Dolphins couldn’t yield explosive plays without Hill, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
The Patriots were also betting that the Dolphins couldn’t run the ball effectively, but they were proven wrong.
It was a night of miscalculations defensively for the Patriots.
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The Patriots dared Tua Tagovailoa to work his way down the field, and he did just that.
With the Patriots using a deep shell to prevent big plays to Hill and Jaylen Waddle, Tagovailoa utilized his complementary pieces with quick and efficient passes.
He made accurate reads and throws to offset the Patriots’ pass rush, with the exception of the fourth-quarter pick to Christian Gonzalez.
The Dolphins were in control for most of the night, even though Hill and Waddle didn’t make a huge impact on the stat sheet.
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Despite linebacker Jaelan Phillips being inactive due to a back injury, the Dolphins still managed to overwhelm the Patriots’ offensive line.
The Dolphins racked up four sacks and seven quarterback hits and it’s safe to say that five of the Patriots’ ten possessions were stalled due to their inability to handle the Dolphins’ pressure, both in terms of run and pass blocking.
The Dolphins made the plays they needed to and it was enough to secure the win.