New England Patriots: 3 Studs and duds in Week 1 vs. Dolphins
Studs and duds for the New England Patriots in their Week 1 win over Miami.
After an offseason of wondering what the New England Patriots would look like now without legendary quarterback Tom Brady under center, we got the first look at the team in the season opener of the 2020 NFL season on Sunday afternoon.
The Patriots looked to kick off the year after putting together another successful 2019 regular season campaign when they played host to AFC East opponent the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.
In the game, we saw a lot of what we’ve seen out of New England in the past, including a dominant defensive display to go along with a new-look offense with some new weapons. That resulted in the Patriots opening the year up with a solid 21-11 victory over the Dolphins.
Sunday’s Week 1 contest was already a big one for the Patriots as they hoped to get out to a jump on the rest of the AFC East division while also establishing itself with some new faces on both ends of the ball. By the end of the contest at home, New England was able to do that and it was able to get a nice win to begin the new season.
In the game, the Patriots got out to the first lead of the game when newcomer Cam Newton used his legs to rush for the first touchdown of the season for New England. The Patriots used that advantage to ride into halftime up 7-3 over Miami.
In the second half, New England continued to display what it did in the first half, with Newton kicking off the scoring in the final two quarters on the ground once again and adding his second rushing touchdown of his Patriots debut.
By the end of the game, New England did enough to come out with the victory and improve to 1-0 early on in the year.
With the win, the Patriots get the 2020 campaign off on the right foot, getting an early 1-0 jump on the rest of the division early on in the season. With the loss, the Dolphins drop a game right away, moving to the bottom of the division at 0-1.
New England will return to action in Week 2 when it takes on the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night football on NBC on the road in Seattle. Miami gets back on the field in Week 2 when it hosts the Buffalo Bills in the first home game of the year and in the second straight divisional matchup.
Now with the season-opening contest in the books for New England and Miami, let’s take a look at the Patriots’ studs and duds from Week 1.