Studs and duds from New England’s 20-7 loss to Dolphins

The New England Patriots lost their first game of the 2022-2023 NFL regular season on Sunday, falling short in a 20-7 defeat to the Miami Dolphins.

After a scoreless first half, New England’s offense did start to get rolling (literally) at the end of the third quarter with a touchdown pass from quarterback Mac Jones to wide receiver Ty Montgomery. However, those seven points were all the Patriots could muster as Miami’s defense smothered them in the overwhelming Florida heat.

Despite the fact that the offense seemed lifeless for most of the game, there were still some positive takeaways from this Week 1 performance. Here are some studs and duds from New England’s defeat.

Stud: Safety Kyle Dugger

The third-year safety out of Lenoir-Rhyne University shined on Sunday, registering five solo tackles and two tackles for a loss. Dugger came up big in multiple short-yardage situations and altogether put up a tremendous defensive performance.

All this despite the fact that he took a knee from Dolphins’ wide receiver Tyreek Hill to a sensitive area right before halftime.

Dugger seems to be an instrumental part of New England’s defense this season, and his play on Sunday spoke to his readiness to become a leader of this defensive unit.

Stud: Wide Receiver Jakobi Meyers

Meyers only logged four receptions for 55 yards on six targets, but he made his catches count. He had multiple catches along the sideline and seemed to be Jones’ go-to first-down target.

Meyers also had a fantastic snag over a Dolphins cornerback midway through the second quarter, pinpointing the ball well while keeping both feet inbounds.

New England’s wide receiver room seems fairly crowded this season, but Meyers seems to currently be the No. 1 option in the slot and has a strong rapport with Jones. Hopefully, he can continue to build upon this stellar Week 1 performance.

Stud: Third-and-long Philosophical Shift

Something that was apparent throughout the game was the drastic shift in New England’s third-and-long (10 or more yards) offensive philosophy. In recent years with Josh McDaniels calling plays, the Patriots would consistently run a low-yardage play (a running back draw, a screen pass, etc.) on third-and-long with the hopes of gaining a few yards to help the special teams unit.

However, with McDaniels now in Las Vegas coaching the Raiders, and with the Patriots…