Pats Pulpit
There hadn’t been a win at Hard Rock Stadium since 2019. No remnants of that roster remained on Sunday, either.
But the New England Patriots outlasted the Miami Dolphins by a score of 33-27 in the AFC East opener.
Here’s a glance back on what went into the 1 p.m. ET kickoff as head coach Mike Vrabel’s side heads home at 1-1.
There was discussion about too much being on the plate. There was discussion about not needing to be perfect. A week removed from attempting 46 passes in defeat, Drake Maye went unfazed in the heat. The Patriots quarterback completed 19-of-23 throws for 230 yards in Miami Gardens. He found three touchdowns and no turnovers there.
The matinee got underway in “12” personnel with 10-play, 68-yard drive that ended in the end zone. A fourth-and-3 conversion kept it alive. A third-and-6 scramble did, too. A bootleg throwback to tight end Austin Hooper gained 22 yards down the left sideline then got the offense to the doorstep. New England’s next series brought an 11-play, 70-yard surge for his second touchdown toss into the bucket. The fast start netted a passer rating of 152.6 through the first quarter. Nine consecutive passes were completed. By halftime, Maye stood 12-of-14 through the air.
Narrowing down both his decisions and his accuracy, the 23-year-old North Carolina product looked far removed from a Sunday ago. Down 20-15 in the third quarter, he kept digging and struck gold with a 55-yard connection in the face of pressure. It set up Maye’s third career rushing touchdown on a day that spanned 31 yards across 10 carries. Offensive penalties were overcome.
Five wide receivers were again in uniform for New England.
Stefon Diggs sat down over the middle on the first drive to move the chains on fourth down. The 31-year-old finished with 32 yards. Starting alongside him, Mack Hollins secured his first touchdown as a Patriot. It arrived in stride from eight yards away on the ex-Dolphin’s lone catch of the day. And then there was Kayshon Boutte. On the heels of pacing the room with 103 yards, the 2023 draft flier out of LSU made his only target count. He got into the end zone from 16 yards out underneath blanket coverage. The third-and-6 touchdown gave the divisional visitors a 12-0 lead that would be a 15-14 lead by the break.
DeMario Douglas’ only reception of the afternoon had to wait until the 12:07 mark in the final quarter. Kyle Williams went without a target while fellow rookie wideout Efton Chism III returned to the inactives.
New England’s running backs combined to carry the football 13 times in the season opener. Only one of those carries arrived after halftime. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was well aware of the imbalance.
There were no signs of it on Sunday. Rhamondre Stevenson...
