Fall came early this year in New England.
This is not a review of the weather in the Northeast, but a variation on the old saying, if you don’t like the weather in New England England, give it 10 minutes. No, this is a review of the mental health of sports fans in the Boston area.
After all, the Boston Red Sox got off to a slow start and after fighting for a place at No. 2 in the AL East in early July, they faded away as summer approached and were forced to watch like Toronto , Tampa Bay and Baltimore overtake them in the standings.
And forcing regional sports fans to dream of Mike Jones, the New England Patriots, yes, fall.
However, as the Patriots begin their 2022 season, winter appears to be coming.
The following summer was filled with palace intrigue, questions about players, offensive priorities and the development of their second-year quarterback, the new-look Patriots offense Sunday afternoon Played in their season opener against the Miami Dolphins.
The results are not pretty.
The Patriots had just one score-driven opener this season, a 20-7 road loss to the Dolphins. They managed just 271 yards of total offense and tripled football in the loss.
New England started offense just when it looked like they were going to start with a touchdown (perhaps to quell concerns from Boston – the whole summer zone) Mike Jones wants to connect with new wide receiver Devante Parker. The Heat’s defense, however, deflected the ball:
Parker and cornerback Harvey Howard had a lot of contact on the line, and many Patriots Team fans sought relief in the form of yellow flags that interfered with passing, but relief never came. Instead, the Dolphins took over possession thanks to an interception by Jevon Holland.
New England fans will be looking for more relief late in the first half as Jones hits the second quarter Coughed halfway through:
Boundary blitz and perimeter pressure were a problem for Jones last season, his ability to find these designs presnap It was an area of ​​focus for the Patriots during training camp. In this game, with the tight end free to shoot, Jones might expect the game to be blocked and the left tackle to fan out to catch the blitz. Left tackle Trent Brown, however, was part of a three-man slide to the left, taking inside rushers and setting safety Brandon Jones free. Jones never checks if the protection works, assumes it will, and pays for it.
As far as Brandon Jones is concerned, the timing of this blitz is excellent. Maybe the Dolphins also made boundary blitz and perimeter pressure a priority a few days before the game…
Halftime It ended with the Patriots trailing 17-0 thanks to a big touchdown by Jaylen Waddell just before halftime, and with the New England offense deadlocked, a comeback looked unlikely. Jones completed 9 of 12 passes for 87 yards and an interception in the first half with a 60.1 NFL passer rating. New England had just 108 yards in the first half and made just seven starts.
Maybe some magical half-time adjustment will provide the answer?
For a while, it looked like that was exactly what was happening. The Patriots offense combined for their first touchdown of the season after New England’s defense forced Miami to abandon the boat on the first possession of the second half. Despite starting within their own ten-yard line, Jones and company made their way down the field. They got field contributions from Damien Harris and Ramon Ray Stevenson and used some rhythm on the drive to catch the Dolphins because there were so many people on the field.
Short touchdown from Jones to running back Ty Montgomery ends:
Miami rushed just three of those 3-pointers and threw eight into coverage. The Patriots ran a diagonal/flat combination on the right, with Parker cutting inside a quick dip and Montgomery releasing from the backfield to a flat. Howard stuck to Parker’s sloping line while no one compared Montgomery to the flats, while the running back made the catch and barrel roll to the end zone of New England’s first point.
They will also be their last point.
Patriots failed to score again in the afternoon, the key point may have come early in the fourth quarter . With just over ten minutes remaining after Montgomery’s third inside shot near midfield was blocked, the Patriots burned their strategy for the fourth offense for the first time. Down 20-7, it felt like a make-or-break moment for New England.
them
Once again, the Dolphins dropped eight points in coverage. This time, however, the digital advantage worked. Jones’ fourth attempt in the direction of Hunter Henry failed — and would be nullified by the wait for Brown — and Miami took over.
The Patriots will get one last chance to score, but the offense is in trouble again. Nelson Agholor lost the ball with just over five minutes left in the Miami area and the Dolphins recovered. Miami was able to salt the game and send the visiting team home with a loss.
Perhaps more worrisome, sending Jones to hard X-ray room at Stone Stadium:
Mike Jones just walked through the tunnel into the X-ray room at Hard Rock Stadium.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 11, 2022
For fans of the Patriots looking for hope, they may need to put a little more rose on their glasses. While the NFL is at times hopeful, with free agency and the draft making every fan believe they’re one step away from a real year, Sunday nights after opening-season losses tend to be the toughest nights in football.
Of course, Patriots fans can point slow from the past teams, or they could point to what they saw from Harris and Stevenson in their running games. They can see moments when Jones is comfortable in the pocket and make quick decisions in football. They can point to New England’s defense keeping Miami’s offense at 13 points. They can also see what Kendrick Byrne did on his only goal of the game as he fell behind this 41-yard gain:
However, those moments tonight may not have been much consolation. After all, Patriots fans were treated to an offensive display from the Buffalo Bills on season opening night, and the three games New England now faces looks more difficult tonight than when the schedule was announced. They head to Pittsburgh next week to face the Steelers, a defense that frustrated Joe Burrow on Sunday (but could miss TJ Watt after an injury against Cincinnati). They will then face off against Lamar Jackson and Aaron Rodgers over the next few weeks.
The way to start Not exactly a smooth year.
And the Patriots in the past Led by Bill Belichick, they used the first four games of the year as extended preseason games, and the offensive inconsistency that emerged during training camp and continued into the first game of the season suggests more work needs to be done. Belichick has long maintained that he wants his team to play the best football as the season goes on, and that time on the football calendar is a long way off.
but You might forgive the Patriots fans who felt a little suffocated tonight for mentioning them. Because in week 1, winter seems to be coming.
