FOXBOROUGH - The morning after, or, in this case, the afternoon after, because, let's face it, night games throw me for a loop.
This will be a regular feature, where I pick through some of the game I didn't write on Sunday or briefly touched.
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Tyreek Hill didn't kill the Patriots Sunday night, finishing with just five catches for 40 yards. That was the motivation for this defense. Anybody but Tyreek. They played cover 3 some. After Marcus Jones got hurt, they lined up Christian Gonzalez in Hill's face, even in the slot, but made sure Jabril Peppers (mostly) was over the top, preventing those back-breaking plays that Hill provided in week one at Los Angeles. Of course, the Chargers are proving that a) their defense isn't very good and b) that their coach isn't very good. The Pats are the opposite. Their defense is very good, and their coaches are doing well on that side of the ball. But what was the cost?
Jaylen Waddle, the 1A to Hill's 1, reeled in four balls for 86 yards before getting blasted into next month by Marte Mapu. He was big. But Raheem Mostert was the real offensive star for the Dolphins, gashing the Pats for 121 yards on 18 carries, including the game-winning touchdown, a 43-yard jaunt that saw the Pats "D" fail at all three levels. Daniel Ekuale, lining up on the nose, was washed out by the guard, who got to the second level to wall off Ja'Whaun Bentley. Peppers inflicted pain on a Dolphin player but took himself out of the play by focusing on the punishment, not the ball. And then Kyle Dugger was out-leverage by the speedier Mostert, and, boom, like that, the Pats were back in a 14-point hole.
"We needed the line of scrimmage," said Mike McDaniel. "And you have to take advantage of overplay. So if they're overplaying the pass game, if you want to be a good offense, you have to threaten them with the run. ... They are telling you something when, you know, they're coverage first. Generally, defenses aren't that way. They felt good about their up-front matchups. And I thought the guys were properly prepared and took that personal."
In some ways, the Pats' approach was similar to a late November game in 2013 against Peyton Manning and the Broncos. Bill Belichick decided that Manning wasn't beating them under any circumstances, and they invited the quarterback to change the play and run, run and run some more. Knowshon Moreno went for 224 yards on 37 carries, but the Pats rallied from a 24-0 deficit and won, and in the aftermath, the media fawned over Belichick's plan like it belonged in a museum. As an aside, that was an overreaction. Just saying.
In this one, the Pats did adjust at halftime, widening their gaps up front to make it more difficult for the Dolphins to attack the edges, which in the first half featured a little too much of Jahlani Tavai and Josh Uche. Both were controlled more easily than you would like. Deatrich Wise and Matthew Judon saw more early down snaps in the second half and did a better job than what we saw in the first half, but that inside zone to Mostert was tough to take.
"They are fast, but that wasn't really what beat us tonight," said Peppers. "We didn't make them beat us tonight. We came out sluggish. We've got to do better across the board."
The Pats faced their first truly flawed team this weekend., the Zach Wilson-led New York Jets. Their offense is like yours, struggling to create plays if not executed perfectly. But unlike yours, they have Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall (despite his lack of usage yesterday). Both are capable of explosive plays. Both have already provided them. Who does that on your team, exactly?
Uncommon Maturity
Credit to Demario Douglas for standing at his locker and answering questions about his first-quarter fumble and his "benching" for the rest of the night. I put benching in quotations because Belichick did let him field punts. So, is it a benching or not? Anyway, it was several years back when Cyrus Jones fumbled a punt, and he was nearly halfway down the tunnel as the media approached the locker room. Poor form. It told me a lot about the character of the player—no worries about Douglas.
"I feel like this will definitely help me," he said. "Just know how the speed of the game - everybody coming to that ball. So I know, for me, I just have to make sure my awareness is heightened."
He has the support of his teammates. A number approached him on the sideline after the play, and Ty Montgomery gave him a ball, which Douglas held on the sideline.
"That's love," he added. "Just like the vets coming up to me saying play the next play. That was definitely comfort."
He could have helped, but Belichick cut off his nose to spite his face. Douglas' quarterback had his back, doing what a good leader should do.
"Yeah, I think Pop [Demario Douglas], obviously, a young player and just trying to keep him encouraged," said Mac Jones. "Obviously, one of my close buddies. So it's going to happen. Young players, you know, there's going to be mistakes. ...So for him, you know, I told him, just keep your head up and, you know, just practice every day holding onto the ball, people hitting at it, things you can do to get better."
Cooler than the other side of the pillow
Two weeks in, Gonzalez not only belongs, but he looks like a valuable piece for this defense. One week after standing up to A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith, the first-rounder was back at it again, dealing with Hill for much of the game. It could have been better. He struggled at times in run force and misplayed a 20-yard shot to Braxton Berrios that set up a Miami touchdown, but all in all, he looks every bit like a player that, from a talent perspective, should have been a top-5 pick.
His interception was a thing of beauty, tracking down a Tua moonball but being smart enough to attack the football at its highest point to come away with the first of his career. He had that ball in his hands when we spoke to him postgame. He didn't say much - that's who he is, eerily reminiscent of Stephon Gilmore in how soft-spoken he is - but there's a level of calm and poise that belie his age.
"Like you said, no one wants to start 0-2, but now it's a new week," he said. "So, we will come in tomorrow and just learn from our mistakes and just keep pushing. It is a long season, and we just have to get to work."
No worries about that. Not with this kid.