Patriots' offense struggles as Dolphins win season opener in Miami
BOSTON -- The New England Patriots are starting their season with an 0-1 record.
Bill Belichick's team spent the week in Florida in an effort to prepare for Sunday's game in Miami, but the Dolphins came away with the win in Sunday's season opener.
The Patriots are now 2-8 in their last 10 trips to Miami.
Mac Jones was 21-for-30 for 213 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Damien Harris led Patriots rushers with 48 yards on nine carries.
Tua Tagovailoa improved to 4-0 vs. the Patriots in his career, completing 23 of his 33 passes for 270 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.
The Dolphins scored the first points of the game, driving 47 yards after Jevon Holland intercepted a Jones pass in the end zone to terminate the Patriots' opening drive of the game. Deatrich Wise strip-sacked Tua Tagovailoa on a third-and-6 at the New England 18-yard line, but the Dolphins recovered the loose ball before Jason Sanders kicked a 43-yard field goal.
The Patriots didn't score a point in the first quarter, marking the seventh straight time they've failed to score a point in the first quarter vs. the Dolphins.
The Dolphins' defense scored the next points of the game, with safety Brandon Jones blitzing off the edge and hitting Mac Jones from the blind side. Brandon Jones knocked the ball free from Mac Jones and Melvin Ingram scooped it up for the defensive touchdown.
The Dolphins added to their lead before halftime, going for it on a fourth-and-7 at the New England 42-yard line late in the second quarter. Tagovailoa hit Jaylen Waddle in stride on a slant, and Waddle went nearly untouched on his way to a 42-yard touchdown catch-and-run.
The Patriots finally got on the board with 4:44 left in the third quarter, when Mac Jones found a wide-open Ty Montgomery in the right flat for a 6-yard touchdown pass. That drive appeared to have stalled several plays earlier when Jones threw incomplete to Parker on a fourth down, but an illegal contact penalty on Xavien Howard gave the Patriots new life.
The Patriots' defense, though, allowed Miami to quickly drive back up the field on the ensuing drive, with Sander fitting a 49-yard field goal inside the left upright to extend Miami's lead to 20-7.
The Patriots went for it on a fourth-and-3 at midfield with 9:46 left in the game, but Jones threw incomplete to Hunter Henry and Trent Brown also committed a holding penalty on the play, leading to a turnover on downs.
Desperate to get back into the game late, the Patriots generated some momentum with a deep connection from Jones to Kendrick Bourne for 41 yards with five-plus minutes to play. But two plays later, Nelson Agholor fumbled just one step after making a catch over the middle, and the Dolphins recovered the loose ball.
On the injury front, Patriots safety Adrian Phillips left the game with a rib injury in the second quarter and did not return.
The Patriots will be in Pittsburgh next week to take on the Steelers.
