Dolphins defense comes to the rescue, forces late turnover in 17-16 win over Patriots
With the Miami Dolphins just barely holding on to a one-point lead late in the fourth quarter and the New England Patriots in the red zone, the player who forced the most takeaways on a defense that led the league in that category last season came through with the decisive play.
Cornerback Xavien Howard, who led the league with 10 interceptions last season, stripped Patriots running back Damien Harris and recovered the ball on the Dolphins’ 9-yard line, preserving a 17-16 season-opening win on Sunday.
“Every game I feel like I have to make something happen for the team and give the ball to the offense,” Howard said. “My mindset was get the ball out, you know. We needed it and it was crucial so I made it happen.”
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw a third-down interception that set the Patriots up at midfield with 8:07 left in the game, but the Dolphins defense held up once again in the red zone. New England held the ball for 13 more minutes than the Dolphins, converted 11 of 16 attempts on third down and orchestrated a trio of 14-play drives but each ended in field goals.
While the Patriots were 1 for 4 in the red zone, the Dolphins were 2 for 2, coming away with touchdowns in both trips.
“That’s winning football on the defensive side,” Tagovailoa said.
Tagovailoa completed 16 of 27 passes for 202 yards, one touchdown and an interception. He also rushed for a 3-yard touchdown on the offense’s opening possession.
Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones, Tagovailoa’s teammate at Alabama, completed 29 of 39 passes for 281 yards and one touchdown in his debut.
On the Dolphins’ first drive, Tagovailoa drove the offense 80 yards into the end zone on 10 plays, capped with his 3-yard touchdown run. The possession had a heavy dose of run-pass option, a staple of the offense during training camp and preseason, and incorporated tempo.
The Patriots took a 10-7 lead toward the end of the first half with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Jones to wide receiver Nelson Agholor. The score came two plays after a controversial third-down penalty in which linebacker Elandon Roberts was flagged for roughing the passer. After shedding a block from a Patriots running back, Roberts appeared to stumble into Jones’ knees.
The Dolphins responded on the following drive with a 36-yard completion to Waddle, but the ensuing six plays netted just 7 yards. Kicker Jason Sanders made a 48-yard field goal as time expired to tie the score at 10 heading into halftime.
The Dolphins’ scoring drive on the first possession totaled 80 yards and the next five possessions in the first half accumulated just 82 yards.
“I think offensively, we started out the way we wanted to,” Tagovailoa said. “We started out fast, getting on the ball and trying to force communication on the defensive side. I think we played complementary football but to an extent, we didn’t take advantage of a lot of opportunities the defense gave us with a lot of turnovers.
The offense opened the second half with a nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive, capped by a 3-yard touchdown pass to Waddle, to take a 17-10 lead. In his debut, Waddle caught four passes for 61 yards and a score.
After a pair of field goals from Nick Folk, the Dolphins held a one-point lead before Tagovailoa’s potentially costly interception. One play before the turnover, a third-down conversion to tight end Mike Gesicki was wiped out because of an ineligible receiver downfield penalty on left guard Solomon Kindley.
Tagovailoa said he was attempting to throw away the pass before it was ultimately batted by multiple players and intercepted by New England cornerback Jonathan Jones.
However, Howard’s forced fumble, one of two Dolphins takeaways, nullified the mistake.
The Dolphins rushed for just 74 yards on 23 carries but got efficient runs on the final drive, including a third-down quarterback sneak from backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett, to keep the ball and seal the win.
“[Howard] is a great player, and we needed a play there and he was able to knock it off of him, recovered it,” Dolphins coach Brian Flores said. “Obviously a huge play in the game and allowed us to get the ball back. But then we turn around and that’s the complementary football that we talked about. Offense goes in there, gets a first down against a good defense, we’re able to run it out and end the game with the ball.”
After the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills lost their season-opening games, the Dolphins sit atop the AFC East after Week 1 and look ahead to a home opener against the Bills on Sept. 19.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game coming up here in this environment against a good, well-coached team,” Flores said. “We just battled, and we knew we were going to have to battle. I think our guys did that and we were able to come out with a win, so it always feels good. A lot of corrections we have to make obviously, but it’s good to get a win.”
This story was originally published September 12, 2021 at 7:42 PM.
