Patriots Had Their Best Win In A Long Time

By Steve Atkinson 

The Patriots achieved their best win in a long time against the Dolphins on Sunday, and it was also Drake Maye’s best game of his career. The Patriots desperately needed that victory, and Josh McDaniels made adjustments to the offense to better suit Maye. He implemented more running plays and adopted a West Coast-style offense that aligned well with Maye’s strengths, while still incorporating elements of his usual game plan. Can they continue to do that, please?

The Patriots Hadn’t Beaten the Dolphins Since 2019

On the defensive side, the Patriots had a rocky day and gave up some big plays. They could really use Christian Gonzalez, who has been out since the beginning of training camp due to a hamstring injury. It’s been six weeks already; you would think he would be ready by now. The absence of Terrell Williams wasn’t too much of a factor, as the defense managed to come through when it mattered most. Marte Mapu had a key turnover, and Milton Williams secured a sack to end the game.

The Patriots’ offense started strong.

The Patriots’ offense got off to a fast start, which was exactly what they needed. They utilized the run game effectively and then threw a touchdown pass to Mack Hollins. The same formula worked again for the second touchdown, with a nice pass to Boutte. However, the play of the day for the offense was Maye’s connection with Stevenson, who had a standout performance and picked up significant yardage on third downs. The team converted a lot of their third-down opportunities.

Mike McDaniel is likely to be fired after the Dolphins were crushed by the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night. It seems the Dolphins have given up, with Tyreek Hill expressing a desire to be traded and Tua Tagovailoa looking lost on the field. Drake Maye was undoubtedly the best player on the field yesterday.

Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye after the Patriots win

The Patriots couldn’t afford to go 0-2 heading into their game against the Steelers, particularly with Aaron Rodgers at the helm. Could they beat the Steelers? Certainly, but if they lose, it’s better to be 1-2 than 1-3 before facing an easier Carolina team in Week 4, which is a game they should win..

This was Mike Vrabel after the game.

 I think there are a lot of good things and a lot of things we’ll have to fix. The command and the operation, and when he feels that lull, that’s when we’ve got to tighten the screws on these guys and get them set faster and get them out of huddle faster and really push them. He’s a jockey, and he’s got to know what the flow of the team looks like offensively. We had a couple of penalties and false starts. Again, things we really aren’t going to be able to overcome eventually

Drake Maye looked more comfortable than in week one. He was relaxed and didn’t force anything or have any jitters.

It feels good. It took everybody. That’s the biggest thing. It took everybody — special teams, offense, defense, trainers, everybody that helps us out. That felt good, and I’m proud of our guys for sticking with it. So many ebbs and flows of the game. Just proud of the guys, that one feels good.