Ryan Fitzpatrick throws his way to a Miami Dolphins opening loss
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins will start the season 0-1 after they lose to the Patriots in New England.
After it was all over there were some good things and quite a few things that need to be worked on by the young Miami Dolphins.
For the better part of today’s game, the Dolphins found a way to keep it close but in the end, Miami couldn’t overcome the three passes by Ryan Fitzpatrick that mattered the most. His three-interception day was not good but it was the last interception that killed any chance at a comeback.
The first two interceptions didn’t cost the Dolphins points, simply time, momentum, and opportunities to put points on the board. The last interception cost the Dolphins seven potential points as Fitzpatrick threw a pick in the endzone as the team was trying to cut the league to three with under two minutes.
Fans are already calling for Tua Tagovailoa after today’s game but if Fitzpatrick plays this erratic next week at home against the Bills, you can bet the name Tua is going to get a lot louder.
On the day, Miami’s offensive line played well in pass protection giving up only one sack on the Dolphin’s final drive of the game. Run blocking left a lot to be desired but they were not bad at all against a very good Patriots defensive front.
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The biggest problem was the inability to stop the Patriots rushing attack that kept Miami’s defense guessing the entire game and when Miami stacked the line, Cam Newton just threw wherever he wanted.
Miami’s defense had a few series where they stepped up and Jerome Baker had a very good game despite two late game penalties that cost Miami 15 1/2 yards as the 2nd occurred on the goal line. It was because of Baker that Miami was in the game late and not completely blown out.
Baker stripped N’keal Harry on the goaline for what should have been a touchdown but instead, Miami got the ball back as it went out of the endzone. Miami scored on the next drive.
Overall, there is a lot of work to do for the Dolphins but they have to be more consistent with the play calling and quarterback play because Ryan Fitzpatrick did not look like he was ready to play another season.