Game Rewind: The Patriots hung on to beat the Miami Dolphins 31-24 in the home opener. Unfortunately, the win was overshadowed by Jimmy Garoppolo’s shoulder injury. Garoppolo has been diagnosed with a sprained AC Joint and has been listed day to day. Here are my five thoughts on the game.
1. The Jimmy G Injury: Garoppolo was shredding the Dolphins defense up until Kiko Alonso knocked him out of the game with a shoulder injury in the second quarter. The injury has been diagnosed as an AC Sprain in Garoppolo’s right shoulder. Normally that would be a six week injury but the Patriots are saying Garoppolo is day to day. Either way, I doubt we’ll see him on Thursday night.
2. Evaluating Brissett’s Performance: Jacoby Brissett played well enough when he came in for the Patriots to win. He didn’t force any throws and he took care of the ball. It helped Brissett that the Patriots committed to the run. Running the football is going to take pressure off of the young quarterback and make the game easier for him.
3. Dolphins Suffer Blount Force Trauma: LeGarrette Blount was a man among boys. He carried the ball 29 times for 123 yards and a touchdown. The Patriots are going to lean on Blount for the next two weeks until they get Tom Brady back. He has to be a workhorse for them.
4. D for Disappointing: We’ve been lauding the Patriots defense as a top five unit thus far this season but they certainly did not play like one yesterday. They couldn’t pressure Tannehill and he shredded the secondary. Miami only had four first downs in the first half. They had 19 in the second half. That’s not good. Given the current state of the team, the Patriots are going to have to play much better defensively on Thursday night against Houston.
5. Gutsy Win: Despite the injury to Garoppolo and the performance, this was a gutsy win for the Patriots. It highlights their toughness and resiliency. All qualities that a championship caliber team must have in order to a win a title. The Patriots found a way to get it done.
Image courtesy of Matt Stone/Boston herald