The Patriots rode a strong debut from Cam Newton, en route to a 21-11 win over the Miami Dolphins in the 2020 season opener. Newton ran for 75 yards and two touchdowns, while also converting two third downs and one fourth down as Josh McDaniels put together a successful gameplan that kept Miami's defense off balance for most of the game.
New England set records under Bill Belichick for rushing attempts and rushing yards by a quarterback, two new records that show which direction the Patriots attack is headed.
Meanwhile, the defense was effective despite some significant offseason turnover. By shutting down Miami's rushing attack, the Patriots were able to play to their defensive strength – the secondary, getting interceptions from Stephon Gilmore, Adrian Phillips and J.C. Jackson.
It sure looked different and might not have been perfect but it was effective enough for a season opener and now the Patriots are off on the 2020 campaign and 1-0 with a division win.
Here's everything that stood out in the first win of the Patriots new season!
-- New England got a solid defensive start forcing a three-and-out, but narrowly missed a huge mistake as Damiere Byrd muffed the punt return catch after being bumped by J.C. Jackson. Luckily it was recovered by Jackson, who was right on the spot. With leading punt returner Gunner Olszewski on IR, the returner spot remains a question mark. Julian Edelman would be back for the second punt that would roll into the end zone, he didn't return a single punt in 2019 for the first time in his career. Byrd would return and cleanly fair catch another punt return.
-- The Patriots offense wasted little time using Cam Newton as a runner multiple times on the opening drive, but a drop by Julian Edelman, followed by a sack of Newton backed the offense up and forced a punt. Newton's presence immediately gave a unique feel to the offense, with a renewed focus on stacked backfields that they didn't quite have the personnel for in 2019. Jake Bailey and the punt team came through with a great first punt of the year, downing the ball at the Dolphins 11.
-- Chase Winovich made an impressive second-down play on the Dolphins second possession that snuffed out a run in the backfield. Winovich's role has clearly expanded in his second season and he was productive early both against the run and with some pass rush pressure.
-- Some quick personnel observations… Brandon Copeland saw time at inside linebacker. Rookie Michael Onewnu appeared to be the swing backup tackle and saw some second-half snaps at right tackle. Byron Cowart started at defensive tackle alongside Lawrence Guy and also partially blocked Miami's successful field goal in the second quarter. Ryan Izzo was a workhorse at tight end after a solid training camp. Kyle Dugger, Jason McCourty and Shilique Calhoun entered the lineup on third defensive drive. Jonathan Jones seemed heavily featured in a safety role. Xavier Williams entered the game on the fourth defensive drive. Derek Rivers was used primarily as a designated pass rusher. JoeJuan Williams was a third-and-long sub, covering tight ends. Anfernee Jennings saw some action in the goal-line defense and was in on a nice second-down stop. Justin Herron saw some goal-line snaps at tackle. Devin Asiasi served primarily as a back-up blocking tight end.
-- Ryan Izzo had the first big play of the season, a nice 25-yard catch up the seam. While many of us were so focused on the rookie tight ends, Izzo has had a solid summer and was leaned on heavily in this game. His development will be an area to watch, he's looked comfortable. It helped set up New England's first score of the game.
-- Newton would convert a third-and-four with his legs inside the red zone then take the ball into the end zone for the Patriots first touchdown score of the season and a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter. It put a nice cap on the start of the game, with an exclamation that defenses are going to have to have a plan for Newton's running. It was the most effective part of the offense early on.
https://www.patriots.com/news/game-observations-newton-patriots-run-away-to-first-win-of-2020
2020-09-13 20:49:46Z
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