Tom Brady is in the state of Florida. That is good news.
The bad news is the New England Patriots remained in the AFC East.
Cam Newton has taken his talents to Foxborough, Massachusetts. He reminded many who did not give him a second chance; they made a mistake.
Newton is now on a team with arguably his best offensive coordinator and head coach in his career.
Newton rushed for two touchdowns, 15 carries for 75 yards, and passed for 155 Sunday, and the Patriots beat the Miami Dolphins 21-11 to open the season.
Newton played football for the first time in over a year.
There were no fans in attendance at Gillette Stadium because of the Massachusetts COVID-19 ordinance. It was prohibiting fans from attending for at least the first two games of the season.
The game felt different, but the same product appeared on the field for Miami, who only won five games last season. One of the games against a Brady led Patriots on the road.
Dolphins’ quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was 20 of 30 for 191 yards and three interceptions. Miami was held to 269 total yards.
“We had some spurts there when we were moving the ball,” Dolphins head coach Brian Flores shared. “With the turnovers there, those are huge. We talk about that a lot. It is tough to win when you turn the ball over.”
The Dolphins defensively gave up 217 yards rushing.
The offense surprised me with how they struggled. There was no preseason, but there was practice. Principal receiver DeVante Parker left in the third quarter with a hamstring injury can hurt the offense moving forward.
For a moment, there was a worry. Tua would play in the game. For a moment.
In a video released by the Dolphins leading to the game, they illustrated how they would converge before the game for racial unjust. The Dolphins exited the field prior to the pregame playing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” about a half-hour before kickoff. Besides, Miami remained in the locker room during the national anthem, following through on the pledge the team made in its video.
The beat goes on.
Dolphins have their season home opener against their division rival Buffalo Bill on Sunday.
The Patriots take their talents to Seattle for a must-see match up on Sunday.
Photo/MiamiDolphins/twitter
