The Miami Dolphins defeated the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon to earn their first regular season victory under head coach Mike McDaniel.
Miami’s defense showed up and made some big plays to keep Bill Belichick’s team to just seven points, scoring seven of their own due to a strip-sack by Brandon Jones and recovery by Melvin Ingram.
The victory keeps the Dolphins tied with the Buffalo Bills atop the AFC East, after Buffalo’s victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.
Here’s what we learned from Miami’s win.
Miami's offensive line depth was tested.
Miami lost three offensive linemen to injury at different points in this game. Right tackle Austin Jackson went down in the second quarter with an ankle injury and never returned. He was replaced by Greg Little.
Little actually went down early in the third quarter, forcing right guard Robert Hunt to kick out right tackle and Robert Jones to fill in at guard. Little, however, did come back.
Left tackle Terron Armstead left the game in the fourth quarter for a bit. During his absence, left guard Liam Eichenberg kicked out to left tackle and Jones filled in at guard again.
With each injury, the offense saw more and more pressure. This may be eye-opening for McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier.
Tyreek Hill was clearly the top option, but Jaylen Waddle was still effective
Tagovailoa attempted 33 passes on Sunday afternoon, and over a third of them went to Hill, who brought in eight of them for 94 yards. The former Kansas City Chief was used in a number of ways, as he was taking reverses and making catches outside and in the middle of the field.
While the attention was on Hill, it was the second-year wideout, Waddle, that made New England pay. Waddle, on a fourth-down play, scored a 42-yard touchdown, as he had the opportunity to display his speed, blowing past multiple defenders. In total, Waddle brought in four receptions for 69 yards and that one touchdown.
Mike Gesicki was noticeably absent.
According to Pro Football Focus, the former Penn State tight end was on the field for just 25 of the 60 offensive plays that the Dolphins ran on Sunday. In those opportunities, he ran routes on just 15 snaps, recording one catch on one target for one yard.
There was a bit of concern about Gesicki’s fit in this offense this offseason, and through one game, it doesn’t look like he’s the guy for the job.
Miami may have found something in Kader Kohou
The Dolphins have had some solid success finding talented NFL players as undrafted free agents, and this year Kohou could be the most recent example.
Kohou was signed by Miami after a collegiate career at Texas A&M- Commerce and had a solid preseason, earning him a spot on the 53-man roster.
Against the Patriots, Kohou got some playing time with Byron Jones still on the PUP list, defensive back Eric Rowe out with a pectoral injury and Noah Igbinoghene inactive as a healthy scratch. In his opportunities, he recorded three tackles, one for a loss, and a big forced fumble in the fourth quarter when New England was looking to come back.
Kicking game doesn't look like an issue.
After struggling mightily in 2021, Jason Sanders hit eight of his nine field goal attempts in the preseason, including all four attempts from beyond 50 yards.
With veteran punter Thomas Morstead holding, Sanders continued his success in the regular season opener, making both of his field goal attempts against New England – one from 43 yards and one from 49.
Rushing game needs to be better
In the first two preseason games, Miami’s poor rushing attack looked a lot like they did in 2021, but a strong third game calmed some fears. However, the Dolphins didn’t run the ball too effectively in Week 1.
Miami’s running backs, fullbacks and wideouts ran the ball 21 times for 65 yards. Chase Edmonds received a majority of the carries, rushing 12 times for 25 yards. That 3.1 yards per attempt from the team, and two yards per attempt from Edmonds, won’t be enough going forward.
