FINAL: Dolphins 24, Patriots 17 - New England falls to 0-2 after getting within 7 twice in 4th quarter taken at Gillette Stadium (Patriots)

(Adam Richins for BSJ)

Patriots fall to 0-2 to start the season for the first time since 2001, but one of those games was on the road. Both of these were at home.

New England got to within one score twice in the fourth quarter and got defensive stops, but could not come through. This seems like a running theme.

Patriots seemed to get their butts kicked in both trenches. Dolphins averaged 4.8 yards per rush and Tua Tagovailoa only got sacked once. Patriots average 3.5 with a long run of 18 yards from Mac Jones, who was under constant duress behind an underperforming line.

Patriots benched Demario Douglas after a fumble and basically tried to come back with one back and two tight ends on the field - not sure many teams would do that.

Tagovailoa improved to 5-0 against the Patriots by completing 70 percent of passes, a 92.2 rating and 8.3 yards per attempt.

Jones completed 73.8 percent with 84.5 rating but a YPA of just 5.5.

Mostert ran 18 times for 121 yards and two touchdowns, including a 43-yarder.

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Regular season Game #2: Miami Dolphins (1-0) at Patriots (0-1), 8:30 p.m.
Location: Gillette Stadium.
TV: NBC. Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (color), Melissa Stark (sidelines).
Radio: 98.5-FM The SportsHub in Boston. **Bedard will be on the postgame show approximately one hour after the game.**
Online: Live Box | Patriots media notes | Dolphins media notes | Flipcard
FanDuel Latest Line: Dolphins -2.5, o/u 46.5
AccuWeather forecast: Perfect football weather.


ROSTER MOVES/UPDATES

Patriots

  • Elevated LB Calvin Munson and WR Jalen Reagor from the practice squad to the active roster.

That's good and bad news. Good news is the Patriots didn't feel the need to elevate any of the offensive linemen (James Ferentz, Kody Russey, Andrew Stueber) so that would seem to indicate that they feel good about their depth, especially on the interior with Cole Strange and/or Mike Onwenu.

Bad news is they are worried about receiver, so DeVante Parker is trending towards inactive and Juju Smith-Schuster and Kayshon Boutte may have endurance issues.

Dolphins

  • Signed defensive tackle Da'Shawn Hand to the active roster and waived safety Verone McKinley III
  • Elevated linebacker Cameron Goode and defensive end Chase Winovich to the active roster for Sunday's game.

Uh oh, the Winovich Revenge Game. I'm sure the Patriots are worried about this.

INJURY REPORT


STATS


PREGAME READING/LISTENING

Bedard: It's time for Mac Jones to take the next step and lead this team to a big victory
NFL Notebook: Giardi - Why Bentley is the right man for the job
Bedard: Vic Fangio's Dolphins defense not yet for primetime equals Patriots upset on Sunday night
Podcast & Video: Bedard Patriots Pod - Why Patriots will beat the Dolphins
Giardi: Another concerning injury report for the Patriots
Completed Q&A: Bedard on Patriots, Dolphins matchup 9.15.23
Giardi: Familiar faces square off once again as Patriots and Dolphins meet
Giardi: Beating Fangio's scheme will require maximum brainpower and execution for Patriots
Giardi: The Dolphins are finding new ways to attack opposing defenses like the Patriots
Giardi: Patriots coaches asked to shed light on JuJu, Mac, and this weekend's challenge.
Bedard's Breakdown: Patriots defense impressive vs. Eagles, but there are caveats - starting with Hurts (UPDATED)

GAME PLAN POINTS & GAME PICK