Dolphins at Patriots: Recap, Highlights, Final Score, and More

The Miami Dolphins came out flat in the first half against the New England Patriots and fell into a deep hole. They came storming back in the second half, but it was too little, too late as they start the 2016 season 0-2.

The Miami Dolphins came into Foxborough coming off a tough, hard-fought loss against the Seattle Seahawks. They looked to clean up their game and bounce back against a tough divisional foe in the New England Patriots. Unfortunately for Dolphins fans, the game didn’t exactly go as planned.

The Dolphins came out flat against the Patriots, looking completely out-of-sorts to start. They quickly got behind by several scores, as Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo drove the ball down the field at will. Before they knew what had happened, the team was facing a 24-0 deficit.

Momentum swung sharply towards the end of the first half when Garoppolo went down with a shoulder injury after a hard hit from Kiko Alonso. Post-injury, the Dolphins seemed to find life, and quarterback Ryan Tannehill hit his stride.

But it was too little, too late for the Dolphins, as a late-game drive to tie the game came up just short. Now the Dolphins face the unenviable task of coming home to open a new stadium in a 0-2 hole. As for the Patriots, they now have a commanding lead in the AFC East, starting the season undefeated. But they face major questions on offense, namely how hurt is Garoppolo and how quickly can Jacoby Brissett get up to speed in a Bill Belichick offense?

Three Stars

Jimmy Garoppolo, New England – Before going down with an apparent shoulder injury, Garoppolo was on fire. The Patriots quarterback was driving the ball down the field and leading his team to what looked like an easy victory. He led the team to a quick 24-0 advantage and was well on his way to having a career day against a tough pass rush.

LeGarrette Blount, New England – It’s not often that a running back is one of the keys to victory for the Patriots, but LeGarrette Blount was absolutely pivotal to the victory. Blount’s solid effort in the running game today. He took the pressure off of Brissett and was ultimately the difference in what turned out to be a much closer game than anyone would have thought after the first 25 minutes.

Ryan Tannehill, Miami – Tannehill really struggled coming out of the gates in this game, but hit his stride in the second half. The Dolphins came charging back in this game all thanks to Tannehill’s incredible second half. Tannehill ended the game with nearly 400 yards passing and was just a few yards short of tying the game and forcing overtime in a game that was all but lost at halftime.

Highlights

Next Week

Next week the Miami Dolphins finally get to play in front of their home crowd. They’ll open a newly-renovated stadium and look to get their first win of the 2016 season against the Cleveland Browns. The New England Patriots have a short week and a tough match-up with the Houston Texans. How serious is the Garoppolo injury and how quickly can they bring Brissett up to speed in the offense? The answer to these questions will be at the front of everyone’s mind going into the Thursday game.