NFL Week 1 Game Recap: Miami Dolphins 20, New England Patriots 7

Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) throws the football during the first quarter against the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The Mike McDaniel era got off to a winning start in Miami, with the Dolphins earning a comfortable victory over the New England Patriots, 20-7, in Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season.

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Offensive spotlight: Tyreek Hill looks like he will be a high-volume threat for the Dolphins. He had 12 targets and eight catches, and both marks were at least double the next-best mark from a Miami receiver. Hill ended up with 94 yards, but his PFF grade will suffer for fumbling the ball out of bounds while carrying it with the wrong hand, leaving it vulnerable to being knocked loose.

Defensive spotlight: Miami’s defense had little in the way of pressure, but the unit did combine for five forced incompletions. Nik Needham allowed three catches — the most among Dolphins cornerbacks — but those passes went for just 38 total yards and he forced an incompletion.

Rookie spotlight: This wasn’t a game with much in the way of rookie impact. Patriots first-rounder Cole Strange started at guard and had a solid day, particularly in pass protection. Strange didn’t allow any pressure in pass protection, but his run blocking was notably weaker.

Offensive line spotlight: Despite some turnover on the offensive line in terms of personnel in the offseason, New England’s line looked as strong as ever, at least when it came to pass protection. The unit stayed relatively sturdy on that front, but their run-blocking grades were lower across the board, with Miami’s defense causing problems in that area.

Betting Summary

Betting Odds Closing Result
Spread MIA -3 MIA Covers
O/U 46 Under

Box Score

Passing
New England Patriots
Player Fantasy Comp/Att Yds YPA TD Int
Mac Jones 10.52 21 / 30 213 7.1 1 1
Miami Dolphins
Player Fantasy Comp/Att Yds YPA TD Int
Tua Tagovailoa 14.8 23 / 33 270 8.2 1 0
Rushing
New England Patriots
Player Fantasy Car Yds YPC TD Long
Mac Jones 10.52 2 0 0 0 2
Ty Montgomery 10.3 2 -2 -1 0 0
Jakobi Meyers 10.2 1 7 7 0 7
Damien Harris 7.8 9 48 5.3 0 12
Rhamondre Stevenson 4.7 8 25 3.1 0 12
Miami Dolphins
Player Fantasy Car Yds YPC TD Long
Tyreek Hill 18 1 6 6 0 6
Jaylen Waddle 17.7 1 8 8 0 8
Tua Tagovailoa 14.8 2 0 0 0 0
Chase Edmonds 10.5 12 25 2.1 0 7
Cedrick Wilson Jr. 4.8 1 8 8 0 8
Raheem Mostert 4.2 5 16 3.2 0 11
Alec Ingold 2 1 2 2 0 2
Receiving
New England Patriots
Player Fantasy Tgt Rec Yds YPT TD
Ty Montgomery 10.3 4 3 15 3.8 1
Jakobi Meyers 10.2 6 4 55 9.2 0
Damien Harris 7.8 3 2 10 3.3 0
Jonnu Smith 6.3 4 3 33 8.2 0
Kendrick Bourne 5.1 1 1 41 41 0
Nelson Agholor 4.8 5 3 28 5.6 0
Rhamondre Stevenson 4.7 2 2 2 1 0
Hunter Henry 4 3 2 20 6.7 0
DeVante Parker 1.9 2 1 9 4.5 0
Miami Dolphins
Player Fantasy Tgt Rec Yds YPT TD
Tyreek Hill 18 12 8 94 7.8 0
Jaylen Waddle 17.7 5 4 69 13.8 1
Chase Edmonds 10.5 4 4 40 10 0
Cedrick Wilson Jr. 4.8 2 2 20 10 0
Raheem Mostert 4.2 1 1 16 16 0
Durham Smythe 2.4 2 1 14 7 0
Alec Ingold 2 2 1 8 4 0
Trent Sherfield 1.8 2 1 8 4 0
Mike Gesicki 1.1 1 1 1 1 0

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