There are often moments when we can’t tell if a team is really that good or really that bad. In the second week of the season, that answer to those questions is yes.
Now, onto the good and the ugly
- Antonio Brown has brought nothing but dysfunction since the end of last season, but for one day he put all that on the back burner as he caught three passes on the Patriots’ first drive (4 overall) and a touchdown near the end of the first half — following a push off that wasn’t called, of course.
- Fitzpatrick confusion. After last week’s 59-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Minkah Fitzpatrick (Safety) requested a trade. Friends that heard about it confused him with the team’s starting quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and messaged Ryan to ask why and where he’d like to go. Ryan then had to inform them it was “the other Fitzpatrick.”
- The Patriots have looked better than ever, and their numbers agree. On the pregame show, Nate Burleson said he believes they’re more talented than their 2007 team that had a perfect regular season, and he won’t be surprised if they go undefeated again.
- In a game that was expected to be a bigger massacre than the Ravens’ game, the Dolphins’ defense player awesome until the Patriots eventually overwhelmed them. It’s important to note the game was competitive until the fourth quarter. If you ignore the 30 plus yards the Dolphins’ offense had after three quarters.
- Miami’s running back, Kalen Ballage, is good at ducking. Comic relief serves a purpose, but it can come at the wrong time. In the third quarter, Fitzpatrick threw the ball to Kalen Ballage as he exited the backfield, and Ballage ducked it. Dan Fouts pointed out he may not know the playbook, but he also added, “If you have time to duck, you have time to reach up and try to catch it.”
- For three straight plays in the third quarter, Tom Brady forced the ball to Antonio Brown, all were incomplete. It’s not like Brady to do this, so one has to wonder if Brown was starting to chirp about not enough passes his way. He was quiet the rest of the game. His four first half catches were his total for the game.
- This game marked the first time in their history that the Dolphins were shutout at home by the Patriots. This is as bad as it gets for Miami.
Post Game
Both teams picked up where they left off last week. Whether it’s good or bad depends on which team we love.
