Patriots-Dolphins Week 1 news and notes

FOXBORO -- A fresh new Patriots season is nearly upon us, with New England set to kick off the 2022 campaign against a pretty familiar foe. For the third straight year, the Pats will square off with the Miami Dolphins in Week 1.

The game is, unfortunately for the Patriots, taking place in Miami, which usually spells disaster for New England's football team. Bill Belichick, perhaps hoping to change his teams (mis)fortunes in South Beach, had his Patriots fly down to Florida on Tuesday and practice at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach so they could get used to the heat and humidity that will be covering them like a blanket come Sunday.

It was a bit unorthodox, but given New England's record in Miami, it's worth a shot. Here are all the news, notes, and -- most importantly -- fun facts that have absolutely no bearing on the game to get you ready for Week 1's Patriots-Dolphins tilt. But at least there is no mention of offensive line issues or not having a named offensive coordinator in this post.

Week 1 Notes

• Miami swept the season series against New England last season, something a large chunk of Patriots fans had never experienced. Before last year, the Dolphins hadn't swept the Patriots since 2000.
• Under Bill Belichick, the Patriots are 26-18 overall against the Dolphins. However, they are just 9-13 in Miami since Belichick took over.
• Overall, Miami has always been a house of horrors for New England. The Patriots are just 17-40 in The Magic City, including two playoff losses.
• If it feels like the Patriots have opened against the Dolphins a lot, it's because they have. Miami is New England's most common Week 1 opponent, with the two teams squaring off 10 times to open the season. 
• This is the third straight season in which the Patriots open things up against the Dolphins. The two teams have split the previous 10 openers, and New England is 1-3 overall when kicking off the season in Miami.
• The Patriots are 54-59 overall against the Dolphins. Miami is the only AFC East team that New England owns a losing record against.
• This will be the 27th time that the Patriots open against an AFC East opponent. They are 16-11 in previous openers against divisional foes.
• The Patriots are 35-27 overall on opening day. 
  
• New England has won seven of its last 10 openers, and is tied for the third-most Week 1 wins in AFC history with 35. The Patriots trail only Pittsburgh (45) and Denver (40) in that department.
• Since 2001, the Patriots are an NFL-best 153-28 when not throwing an interception.
• The Patriots have finished in the Top 10 for fewest points allowed for 10 straight seasons, the longest current streak in the NFL. New England ranked second in points allowed last season at 17.8 per game. 

Player Notes

• Mac Jones made his NFL debut in last year's opener against the Dolphins, completing 29 of his 39 passes for 281 yards and a touchdown. He did have a rather embarrassing "fumble" on his first passing attempt, but bounced back nicely after.
• After racking up 3,801 passing yards last season, Jones needs just 105 yards to move past Ed Songin for 10th place in team history. He also needs just 120 yards to pass Mike Taliaferro and 146 yards to pass Matt Cassel on the list.
• Jakobi Meyers has three two-point scores for his career and is one shy of tying Julian Edelman and Gino Cappelletti for the most in franchise history.
• Matthew Slater is entering his 15th NFL season, joining Tom Brady (20), Steve Grogan (16), Troy Brown (15), and Julius Adams (15) as the only New England players to play in at least 15 seasons with the team.
  
• Nick Folk has been automatic for the Patriots and has connected on 55 straight field goals or 50 yards or under. The ageless (and appendix-less) wonder is just one away from tying Ryan Succop's record from 2014-17 with the Titans. Unfortunately, his last miss from inside 50 was the 2020 season opener -- against the Dolphins.

Connections

• The Patriots have three former Dolphins on their 2022 roster: Davon Godchaux, Raekwon McMillan, and DeVante Parker. Patriots assistant offensive line coach Billy Yates also played for the Dolphins.
• Parker spent his first six NFL seasons in Miami after the Dolphins drafted him 14th overall in 2015. He ranks sixth in Miami history with 4,727 yards and eighth in receptions with 338.
• The Dolphins have five former Patriots on their roster: Trey Flowers, Elandon Roberts, Eric Rowe, Keion Crossen, and Calvin Munson. 
• There are a few former Patriots on the Miami coaching staff as well: Wes Welker (wide receivers coach), Steve Gregory (safeties coach), and Ty McKenzie (outside linebackers coach). Former Patriots coach Josh Boyer also serves as Miami's defensive coordinator, and former New England scout Chris Grier is Miami's general manager.

Tune in to Patriots-Dolphins on WBZ-TV -- the television home of the New England Patriots! Coverage begins Wednesday night at 9:30 p.m. on TV38 with Patriots 1st Down, and continues Friday night on WBZ-TV at 7 p.m. with Patriots All Access. Sunday's coverage kicks off at 11:30 a.m. with Patriots GameDay, the Patriots and the Dolphins get underway at 1 p.m., and after the game switch over to Patriots 5th Quarter on TV38 for full reaction and analysis!