Positives from Patriots’ 20-7 loss to Miami

In a loss of this sort, it’s hard to look back on the game and find anything that went well for the Patriots. They were outplayed in all three phases of the game as Bill Belichick would notoriously say. The offense struggled to get going after the initial drive, the defense gave up a lot of third downs, and the Patriots committed plenty of turnovers. The turnovers would prove costly, as the Patriots would give up ten points off of turnovers, including a strip sack of quarterback Mac Jones that gave the Dolphins a ten-point advantage early in the game.

Despite all of that, there were some positives to come out of the game.

The Offense

For starters, the Patriots started the game strongly on offense, moving the ball all the way to the Miami 22-yard line before Jones would be intercepted by Jevon Holland on a pass intended for DeVante Parker that probably should’ve been called pass-interference.

Given the woes that the Patriots have experienced on offense, it was nice to see them get out to a fast start and move the ball down the field on the opening drive. Even though it resulted in a turnover, getting out to a fast start and keeping a team’s offense off the field is a crucial way to start a game. It didn’t work out this time for the Patriots, but it’s definitely something to build on for the future.

Ty Montgomery

It was also pleasant to see Ty Montgomery, who was carted off the field in the third and final preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders just over two weeks ago. He scored the Patriots’ only touchdown in the game, a six-yard reception from Jones which saw Montgomery literally roll into the endzone. It appears he could be filling the role that James White played on third downs.

The Defense

As for the Patriot’s defense, they led the high-octane Miami offense to only one touchdown. Although it came at the worst of times, a fourth and seven on the New England 42 with less than half a minute in the first half, it was encouraging to see the Patriots be able to limit the Dolphin’s offense to such a low number of points.

If you look at the stats, the game was actually even matched. It just came down to the turnovers that the Patriots committed and the Dolphins took advantage of. If there’s any consolation for the Patriots, it’s that they didn’t play horribly. There’s definitely room for improvement but it’s nothing that can’t be fixed and adjusted for the rest of the season.

The Patriots are in the midst of a crucial stretch of games that will define the season. So far on the season, they are 0-1, but plenty of opportunity lies ahead to improve both their record and resume.

The Patriots are onto Pittsburgh next Sunday with kickoff slated for 1:00 PM on CBS.

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