New England Patriots: 3 Standouts vs. Dolphins in Week 2
3. Jamie Collins
The first standout performer for the New England Patriots in their impressive showing against the Miami Dolphins during Week 2 of the NFL regular season on Sunday came on the defensive side of the ball and specifically from Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins.
Collins, who is in his eighth season in the NFL and is in his third stint with New England after spending some time with the Cleveland Browns throughout his professional career to this point, was a standout on defense and helped the Patriots shut down the Dolphins on Sunday afternoon in the blowout victory.
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Collins finished the game with five tackles, 0.5 sacks and two total interceptions to pace New England’s defensive unit. One of those interceptions was returned 69 yards for a touchdown in his first pick-six of the 2019 campaign.
In the Week 1 victory over Pittsburgh at home, Collins stood out for the Patriots while finishing the season-opening contest with a total of six tackles against the Steelers.
He was able to continue that trend of early-season success on Sunday in Week 2 against the Dolphins, taking things up a notch while anchoring an impressive defensive showing.
As a defensive unit in its entirety, the Patriots were able to force the Dolphins to throw for four interceptions, including picking off Miami quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick three times while forcing backup Josh Rosen to throw for one later on in the contest.
Along with getting the Dolphins to turn the ball over, New England held Miami to throw for just 142 yards through the air and rush for just a total of 42 yards in the contest. More importantly, the Patriots were able to hold the Dolphins off the scoreboard as well en route to the win.
We often talk about the New England offense and what it is able to do on that side of the ball, but this Patriots defense has looked impressive through two weeks of the regular season. And on Sunday, Collins was just one piece that played a large role in that success.