3 studs and 4 duds from the Patriots 24-17 loss: Gonzalez up, Douglas down

For the second consecutive week, the New England Patriots had the opportunity to come back and win in the fourth quarter, but for the second straight week, the Patriots failed. Instead, New England has started their season with back-to-back disappointing performances at Gillette Stadium.

The Patriots dropped their first divisional matchup against the Dolphins, 24-17. The loss was another sign that the Brady Era is further and further behind us. New England hasn’t started 0-2 since 2001, the longest streak in the NFL. Although it’s only been two weeks, playoff hopes already look slim. The Bengals are the only team to start 0-2 and make the postseason in the last 15 years.

The 2023 Patriots are struggling to open the game strong and have shot themselves in the foot for the second straight week. Penalties, poor offensive line play, turnovers, nullified the Patriots’ success moving the ball.

Tua Tagvailoa is 5-0 against the Patriots. Enough said.

Let’s dive in and look at Week 2 Studs and Duds.

Studs

Quarterback Mac Jones

Last week, I had Mac Jones as an honorable mention, but he gets elevated to a “stud” this week. Although it’s easy to blame the quarterback, Mac Jones is doing a lot of things right and has made several strong plays. Unfortunately, Jones did have a questionable interception. Other than the poor throw, Jones showed poise under pressure and used his legs to pick up yardage when receivers struggled to get separation. For the second consecutive week, Jones stepped up in the second half. However, the Patriots offense needs to start better in order to turn these challenging games into wins.

CB Christian Gonzalez

There was a lot on the plate for rookie Christian Gonzalez, with Jonathan Jones inactive due to an injury. Likewise, cornerback Marcus Jones suffered an ankle injury and was ruled out in the second quarter. Gonzalez lined up against All-Pro Tyreek Hill for most of the night. One of the night’s biggest plays came when Gonzalez picked up Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa when he was targeting Hill. It was the rookie’s first career interception. The Patriots selected Gonzalez with the 17th overall pick in the draft, and so far, it’s looking like the steal of the draft. When the Patriots get Jonathan Jones and Jack Jones back, the Patriots secondary will be fun to watch.

ST Brenden Schooler and Special Teams

The Patriots needed a big play in the second half to swing momentum, and they got it; Schooler timed up a perfectly blocked field goal attempt from the Dolphins, which put the Patriots in a great field position. Although Jones threw an interception on the next drive, Schooler’s blocked field goal was a massive shift in the game. It was a unique play call from the Patriots that could be used in future games. The long-term effect is also noteworthy, with all teams having to adjust their formation on field goals. Along with Schooler, rookie Chad Ryland was perfect and nailed his first field goal of his career. Ryland didn’t have any chances to kick in the preseason or week 1. In addition, rookie Bryce Baringer averaged 48 yards a punt and landed three punts inside the 20-yard line.

Honorable mentions: TE Hunter Henry, CB Myles Bryant, S Kyler Dugger

Duds

WR Demario Douglas

The rookie receiver started the game assertive, and when he had the ball in his hands, he looked like the most dynamic player on the Patriots offense. However, yesterday, he found himself in the Patriot’s dog house after he fumbled the football away. In the first quarter Bradley Chubb punched the ball out of Douglas, and the Dolphins recovered, scoring a touchdown on their subsequent drive. The fumble put the Patriots in a early hole as they looked up at a 10-0 deficit. After Douglas lost the ball, he didn’t see another snap on offense as Belichick seemingly benched the rookie. Douglas will have a significant role in the offense, but if he can’t hold on to the football, there won’t be many opportunities for him to prove it.

OT Calvin Anderson

Mac Jones was constantly under pressure against the Dolphins, and the pass protection and run blocking was a disaster. It was the first time in months that the Patriots had Cole Strange and Mike Onwenu back with the starters, but the communication wasn’t great. Calvin Anderson, in particular, had a tough night. The Patriots were already short a veteran, with Trent Brown inactive due to a concussion. Dolphins edge Andrew Van Ginkel gave Anderson a hard time, and Anderson gave up constant pressures and allowed a sack. Veteran Riley Reiff is on the IR, but he should replace Anderson at tackle when he is activated.

LB Jahlani Tavai

Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai didn’t have his finest showing against Miami. Tavai had trouble tackling and found himself out of position several times. Along with being out of position and guessing wrong, Tavai did an inadequate job of setting the edge against the run. The off-the-ball linebacker will have a tough time watching the film, but he should improve next week against New York. Tavai usually tackles well, so it was unlike him to have a subpar night.

Run defense

Back-to-back poor run game performances from the Patriots. Last week, the Patriots had 22 attempts and ran for 76 yards, only averaging 3.5 yards. The Patriots offensive line didn’t have a lot of time to work together during the preseason, with injuries hurting the line. On Sunday night, Stevenson recorded 15 carries, running for 50 yards, while veteran Ezekiel Elliott had 13 yards on five carries. Like last week, the Patriots averaged 3.5 yards an attempt. Keep in mind last week, the Chargers put up 233 rushing yards against the same Miami Defense. Yikes. Mac Jones can’t be throwing 40+ attempts a game, and currently, he leads the NFL in attempts with 91.

Honorable mentions: DT Davon Godchaux, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, OG Cole Strange