After a sluggish first half, the Patriots took control in the second half and buried the Dolphins 43-0. The story will be the debut of Antonio Brown but the dominant performance of the defense should be the real story. They were once again tremendous.

Here are five thoughts on this game.

1. Solid debut for Antonio Brown: Brown caught 4 passes for 56 yards and a touchdown. He was targeted eight times. Brown was impressive despite struggling at times to get on the same page with Brady. There was no rust in Brown’s game. He ran great routes and showed an understanding of the route concepts and where he needs to be. Brown will get more comfortable as time goes on. He makes an already loaded offense even better.

2. Defense dominates: The Patriots defense continued its dominance today sacking Ryan Fitzpatrick seven times and picking him off four times. The Patriots had two interception returns for touchdowns.

It is not surprising. The Dolphins are awful offensively. There isn’t a a legitimate play maker on their roster. That being said, the Patriots defense has been unbelievable since the Super Bowl. They have only given up six points in their last three games. They only gave up 228 yards of total offense today.

3. Ground game produced: The Patriots emphasized the running game today, especially after Isaiah Wynn went out with an injury early. Sony Michel finished 85 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Collectively the Patriots only rushed for 126 yards but the ground game was effective this week unlike last week.

4. Offensive line injuries pile up: Left tackle Isaiah Wynn is the latest Patriots offensive lineman to go down today. Wynn hurt his foot in the first quarter and never returned. The Patriots could potentially be down three starters heading into next week’s game against the Jets. It is not good right now. Injuries along the offensive line could have domino affect on the rest of the offense.

5. Feeling bad for Flo: You almost feel bad for first year Dolphins coach Brian Flores. The Dolphins are awful and when the dust settles, this could end up being one of the worst teams in NFL history. There is no talent there. I know the Dolphins plan is to build for a post Brady AFC East but the way things are going, Flores might not be around to coach those teams.