The Miami Dolphins just scraped by their opponents, the New England Patriots, by a forced fumble thanks to Xavien Howard. This low-scoring match really showed the power of the Dolphins and Patriots defense but left questions about the offense for both. The Dolphins were not favored in this match, as they were expected to lose with the patriots acquiring new weapons, many players returning from sitting out in the 2020 season, and entering the Mac Jones era.
The offense for the Dolphins had a modest day, with Tua finishing 16-27 with 202 passing yards, a passing TD, and a 3-yard rushing TD. Devante Parker stepped up with 4 receptions of 81 yards, and the newly drafted 6th overall pick, Jaylen Waddle, was the only receiving TD scorer of the day for the Dolphins, delivering much promise and hype after this year’s draft. Nothing came about from Mike Gesicki, their star tight-end, as there were 2 targets and no receptions made from this game. The ground game did not deliver as Myles Gaskin only hit 49 rushing yards, with the team accumulating 74 yards total.
The defense was a massive factor for the Dolphins that essentially decided the victory, as they shut out the Patriots in the first quarter, then limiting them to one rushing TD and 3 field goals. There were 4 fumbles overall, but two of which were recovered by Zach Sieler and Xavien Howard. This defense on the field was very reminiscent of last year, and was a dangerous threat when it came to throwing the ball.
With a win under the belt, the Dolphins face the winless, yet intimidating Buffalo Bills, who have high hopes to reach the postseason with the dynamic duo, Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs. Currently, Will Fuller V is set to play in this next match coming off his drug suspension since last season. With this in mind, the biggest thing we should be looking for with these Dolphins is Tua and this rebranded offense, surely it takes a while to click, but if we expect the Dolphins to win, or even stay close in this game, they must dominate on offense with both passing and rushing taking advantage of their defenses numerous accounts of help it delivers.
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