Dolphins win opener over Patriots as McDaniel earns first teaching victory, Tagovailoa extends unbeaten streak vs. NE

Mike McDaniel gained his head teaching debut. Tua Tagovailoa extended his unbeaten streak against the New England Patriots. Tyreek Hill was heavily involved in his first game with the Miami Dolphins. The protection made game-changing performs.

And the Dolphins began the 2022 season with a victory in opposition to the AFC East rival Patriots, topping New England, 20-7, in entrance of an introduced attendance of 65,786 on Sunday afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium.

McDaniel earned his first win as a coach going in opposition to Bill Belichick, who’s third on the NFL’s all-time wins record. Belichick’s plan to spend the week of practice in South Florida, at Palm Beach Atlantic University to get acclimated to the heat and humidity, ultimately was for naught.

McDaniel was showered with Gatorade by defensive linemen Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler as he went into the locker room following the win.

“It was a very, very cool moment, against my wishes. They just showered me in Gatorade and made it about me, which I know for a fact it’s not,” McDaniel stated. “But the team celebrated together, and just being happy for the direction that we’re going in.”

McDaniel didn’t soak within the feelings of a primary profession win. He was extra involved with each subsequent step, whether or not it was discovering Belichick for the postgame handshake or working up a message to his workforce within the locker room. That translated into his instant give attention to the subsequent recreation, on the Baltimore Ravens.

“I wish all you had to do is win one game,” he stated. “That’s not the case, so I’m kind of thinking about Week 2. Time for reflection will come on my own time, not other people’s. Right now people don’t need me to sit and think about my win-loss record. They need me to do my job.”

Tagovailoa, the Dolphins quarterback, is now 4-0 in opposition to New England as Miami prolonged its win streak over its division rival to 4 video games. Tagovailoa has edged his former faculty backup at Alabama, Mac Jones, in all three of their skilled conferences.

“It’s not an individual accolade,” Tagovailoa stated. “It’s a team sport, and this team has won four games straight against New England. However way you see it, however way you put it, that’s what it is.”

Tagovailoa was 23 of 33 for 270 yards and a landing on a key fourth-down conversion to Jaylen Waddle on the finish of the primary half. Tagovailoa went with out a turnover, avoiding a number of close to interceptions and fumbles. He linked with Hill eight instances as Hill had 94 yards receiving in his debut in Miami.

Jones was 21 of 30 for 213 yards, a landing and an interception. He additionally misplaced a key fumble that was recovered for a Miami landing as Jones made the important thing errors that Tagovailoa narrowly dodged.

Dolphins newly acquired edge defender Melvin Ingram made his first large splash in Miami, scooping up the Jones fumble close to the objective line for a simple 2-yard landing in the midst of the second quarter to place the Dolphins up, 10-0. Brandon Jones, who led Miami with 11 tackles and added a go deflection that was practically intercepted, got here in on a security blitz that wasn’t picked up by the New England offensive line for the strip-sack on the Patriots quarterback.

It was considered one of a number of cases the place the protection stepped up with a game-changing play.

“This is still the defense’s team until proven otherwise,” stated McDaniel after an offseason the place the revamped offense obtained a lot of the hype.

Miami went into the half main, 17-0, after Waddle slipped via the New England protection for a 42-yard landing on fourth-and-7. Waddle caught the Tagovailoa go past the first-down marker on a slant, and two Patriots defenders, together with deep security Kyle Dugger, collided in pursuit as Waddle broke free.

“It was a great ball,” Waddle stated. “O-line held up good, great ball placement.”

The Patriots minimize into their deficit with a protracted scoring drive to open the second half. New England went 15 performs for 92 yards, taking over 8:21 and capping the sequence with a throw to an open Ty Montgomery to the flat. Montgomery went to the bottom to make the catch however had time to roll into the top zone with Jaelan Phillips chasing.

The New England scoring drive was prolonged on an incomplete go on fourth-and-1 when cornerback Xavien Howard was known as for unlawful contact earlier than a go to ex-Dolphins receiver DeVante Parker to the top zone. Miami additionally had too many males on the sphere earlier within the sequence to surrender a primary down.

The Patriots squandered later possibilities to sneak nearer with Dolphins undrafted rookie cornerback Kader Kohou contributing to main stops. First, Kohou broke up a fourth-down go. Then, Kohou delivered an enormous hit on vast receiver Nelson Agholor that jarred the ball unfastened for a fumble that Phillips recovered.

“It was a great experience for my first NFL game,” stated Kohou, the Ivory Coast native who performed faculty soccer at Texas A&M-Commerce. “I was nervous before until I got out there and then it was just kind of filled in from there.”

Sunday began with the Patriots driving in opposition to the Dolphins protection, however Mac Jones determined to focus on Howard 1-on-1 in opposition to Parker. It didn’t go nicely for him that point as Howard broke up the go, tipping it to security Jevon Holland for an interception in the long run zone.

Starting on the 28-yard line following Holland’s 31-yard interception return, the Dolphins drove into field-goal vary however had a drive stall as Tagovailoa was stripped on a sack by New England’s Deatrich Wise, who broke via between heart Connor Williams and proper guard Robert Hunt. Miami recovered the fumble, and Jason Sanders transformed a 43-yard subject objective. Sanders additionally hit a 49-yarder to complete the third quarter.

Miami needed to shuffle its offensive line a number of instances as a consequence of accidents on Sunday. With Austin Jackson exiting at proper deal with, Greg Little entered to interchange him. Little then momentarily left the sport, and left deal with Terron Armstead as soon as went to the sideline. Each time, the guard on that facet, both Robert Hunt or Liam Eichenberg, kicked out to deal with and Robert Jones entered at guard.

The Dolphins now hit the street for the primary time this season, visiting the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2. It’s a part of a difficult stretch within the first 4 video games, with video games in opposition to the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals to observe.

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