Miami Dolphins best player vs. New England Patriots
By Jon Shearer
On a day where New England brought the defensive stars back from opting out, Miami knew it was in for a defensive struggle. Both teams pride themselves on defense and old-school football. The dolphins on cue struggled offensively, scoring just 17 points, but those 17 points were just enough to hold on for the win.
New England was able to move the ball up and down the field and Miami’s defense bent but did not break. The dolphin defense came up with stop after stop including the game-winner by CB Xavien Howard when Damien Harris fumbled and Howard recovered late in the 4th quarter to all but seal the win.
The best player for Miami of course comes from the defensive side of the football: Sam Eguavoen.
Sam Eguavoen harassed QB Mac Jones all day with a game-high three quarterback hits. Eguavoen would add two solo tackles and six tackles overall to help lead the bend but don’t break Miami Dolphin defense. The 28-year-old Eguavoen is in his 3rd season and is going to have to continue to step up for the defense to be stingy. Eguavoen came into week one with 51 career tackles in two seasons and was projected 96 tackles heading into the season. A big season seems to be in store for the 6’1 236lb Texas Tech product.
Next up is Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium. The Dolphins will host the Bills for the second consecutive season, early in the year. Miami enters the game with a win but the Bills pose a significant division test.