Miami Dolphins: 10 observations from Week 1 vs. Patriots

Miami Dolphins Week 1 Observations:

9. Open field tackles sure are nice to see

Aside from a handful of anomalies, the Dolphins have generally been a poor tackling team in recent memory. So much so, in fact, that seeing opening field tackles for losses by Miami’s defense on Sunday almost felt foreign. One of the big stops came from Melvin Ingram, who stopped Rhamondre Stevenson with a textbook open field tackle for a loss of three yards. Another came from the aforementioned Kader Kohou.

10. A performance like this won’t be enough against the next few opponents

There were some bright moments and a couple of highlight plays, but the Dolphins won’t be making any early-season noise if they continue to play the way that they did in Week 1. The next three opponents on the schedule should all put up a far better fight than the Patriots did, and unless Miami corrects some of the glaring mistakes from Week 1, they could very well be looking at a 1-3 start to the season.

The Dolphins will continue their season next Sunday as they travel to Baltimore to take on Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Miami had success against them last year, but have struggled mightily in the match up over the last decade. They’ll be at home against the Bills in Week 3, and in Cincinnati for a Thursday Night game just four days after.