As expected, the New England Patriots handled the Miami Dolphins with ease, winning in South Beach, 43-0.
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Final Score
New England Patriots 43, Miami Dolphins 0
New England Patriots
Stephen Gilmore, PFF’s highest-graded cornerback in coverage last season, looked in midseason form against the Dolphins on Sunday. He returned an interception for a touchdown on a bad throw by Ryan Fitzpatrick, and his elite athleticism was on full display on a pass that appeared to go over his head before tipping it to Devin McCourty for an interception, one of four the Patriots' defense had on the day.
Miami’s offensive line struggled mightily against the Patriots’ pass-rush, surrendering a total of seven sacks on the day. One player in particular who the Dolphins couldn’t seem to contain was Adam Butler. The third-year defensive tackle generated multiple pressures up the middle and finished with a pair of sacks.
Antonio Brown impressed in his Patriots debut, as he caught four passes for 56 yards and a touchdown in the process. His touchdown reception was easily is best of the day, catching a back-shoulder pass from Tom Brady on a go route from the slot.
Running back Rex Burkhead was solid on the ground and in the receiving game. He finished the contest with a handful of forced missed tackles and 68 yards from scrimmage.
Rookie Takeaways
After an impressive preseason, Chase Winovich has been quiet in the regular season. He had another forgetful performance against Miami in Week 2.
Miami Dolphins
When the Dolphins did manage to get their offense on the field, it rarely led to a sustainable drive. Of their first eight drives in the game, only one was not a three-and-out. Miami also finished with just 184 yards of total offense.
With the game out of hand, the Dolphins opted to sit Ryan Fitzpatrick about midway through the fourth quarter, allowing for Josh Rosen to get some more playing time. The former first-round draft pick made a couple of big-time throws down the field that were on target, but his receivers weren’t able to hang on. Drops were a bit of an issue throughout the game for Miami.
Minkah Fitzpatrick will finish PFF's review process with a high run-defense grade. He was stout in that area of the game, picking up multiple stops in the process.
Linebacker Jerome Baker really struggled in coverage against the Pats. He was picked on left and right, giving up multiple plays as a result.
Rookie Takeaways
Guard Michael Deiter was solid in pass protection but really struggled as a run-blocker.
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