New England Patriots: 3 Studs and duds in Week 1 vs. Dolphins

Stud: Cam Newton

All eyes have been on Cam Newton since he arrived in New England while he is now the new player under center to take over this Patriots offense for at least the 2020 season. In the season-opening contest on Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium, the veteran quarterback did what he does best throughout the course of the game, utilizing his duel-threat abilities both through passing game and on the ground in the running game.

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In his debut, Newton finished throwing 15-of-19 with 155 passing yards and an average of 8.2 yards per completion. On the ground in the rushing attack, he ran for a team-best 15 rush attempts for 75 yards and two touchdowns, averaging five yards per attempt.

It will be important for the future success of the Patriots if Newton can continue to showcase what he did in the Week 1 win on Sunday. If he is able to, look out.

Dud: Turnovers

The good news when it comes to this is that the turnovers didn’t come from Newton or via an interception, but the Patriots did cough up the ball a few times while losing one of those fumbles during the game.

Notably, Damiere Byrd and N’Keal Harry each had a fumble in the contest, with Harry’s fumble being recovered by the Dolphins. That turnover didn’t ultimately have much of an impact on the game in the end, but it’s something New England will try and shore up going into Week 2 next Sunday.