Everyone knew that the New England Patriots would easily roll over the hapless Miami Dolphins. However, no one knew exactly how dominant the Patriots' defense would be against their opponents.
NFL Research provided the exact number by which the New England secondary was able to overwhelm the Miami offense. The number doesn't paint a great picture for Brian Flores' squad.
The #Patriots defense put up 37 fantasy points, the most by a defense since the Titans had 38 fantasy points in Week 17, 2012 vs Jacksonville
— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) September 15, 2019
The rating is extraordinary, but it makes perfect sense given the context. Miami ceded 50 points to a decent team like Baltimore. No one in their right minds would punt a haphazard Miami offense even leaving a dent on the Pats defense.
Both Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh Rosen had their stints facing the New England defense. Both of them were subpar, but Fitzpatrick was the greater liability with his 89 yards on 11 completions and three interceptions.
Rosen had more yards (87) on fewer completions (7). He also had fewer interceptions than Flores' first-choice starter. This should convince Flores to give him the starting job moving forward.
The Dolphins defense was as equally hilarious as the offense. They weren't even able to hold up a candle to the offensive firepower the defending Super Bowl Champions showcased.
Antonio Brown was the man of the day for the Patriots as he starred in his debut game. He made four catches for 56 yards and converted one of those catches to a TD. Tom Brady threw for 264 yards and was efficient with his 20/28 passing clip.
The Dolphins were so bad that the pre-game fantasy write-up for the Dolphins was painfully hilarious:
https://twitter.com/CaseyBake16/status/1172538698317160448?s=20
This is going to be a long season for Miami, and rumors of players looking to move out of the team should intensify even further. Meanwhile, the Patriots showed the entire league that they are still the team to beat.
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