Miami Dolphins: 10 observations from Week 1 vs. Patriots

Miami Dolphins Week 1 Observations:

3. Tua needs to hold on to the ball and take the sack

Tua is doing all he can to prove the doubters wrong, but he might have been doing a little too much on Sunday. While his play wasn’t terrible, a few of his decisions were. Instead of tucking the ball and accepting sacks, there were multiple occasions in which Tagovailoa gave a last-ditch effort to get rid of the ball while already in the grasp of the defense. One of them should have been a game-changing interception, and the other nearly resulted in a 4th-quarter fumble.

4. Mike McDaniel’s decision-making in his first game was great

In his first game as an NFL head coach, Mike McDaniel was faced with some situational decisions that he ended up making the correct call on.

The first was on the Dolphins’ opening drive, when they were faced with a 4th and 1 from the 50-yard line. McDaniel opted to go for it, but the Patriots jumped offside, giving Miami the first down without ever snapping the ball. The second decision ended up being the biggest play of the game when the Dolphins, at the New England 42-yard line, went for it on 4th and 7 with under 30 seconds left in the first half. The result was a catch-and-run touchdown to Jaylen Waddle.