Patriots Vs. Dolphins Halftime Thoughts

As the New England Patriots enter halftime of their Week 2 match up with the Miami Dolphins ahead 24-3, here are some thoughts from the first half of action.

Jimmy G Goes Down- In his first career home start, New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was nothing short of dominant at the start. On 27 pass attempts, the third year pro completed 18 passes for 253 yards and three scores, picking apart the Miami defense and compiling a 130.8 passer rating. His mobility in th pocket giving him even more time against a tough Dolphins' front, things seemed to be going better than even head coach Bill Belichick could have planned for early on. Unfortunately for Garoppolo and the Pats, however, the quarterback was injured late in the second quarter after scrambling to his right on a pass attempt. While he completed the pass for a first down, Garoppolo fell towards the turf directly on his right shoulder with Miami linebacker Kiko Alonso smashing down on top of him. After being visibly shaken and staying down on the turf for some time, Garoppolo was helped off the field. He has officially been listed as questionable to return with a shoulder injury.

Jacoby Time- With Garoppolo getting injured, rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett was fluxed into action at the end of the second half. With little to no experience with the first unit, Brissett handed the ball off in many of his initial snaps, and failed to complete his only two pass attempts of the half. With Garoppolo's injury looking sreious, expect to see the rookie and a scaled down game plan in the second half.

Quick Start- The Patriots were put in an unfamiliar position at the start of the game as the Dolphins won the toss and deferred to the second half, making New England start on offense. The switch up didn't seem to bother the Pats, however, as they took the ball at their own 25-yard line and promptly drove it down the Dolphins' throats. On just eight plays, Jimmy Garoppolo led the offense 75 yards down the field and into the end zone for a quick 7-0 lead. Garoppolo was a cool five of five for 64 yards and a touchdown on the drive. On the receiving end, Julian Edelman led the way with two receptions for 24 yards, while tight end Martellus Bennett added a catch for 26 yards and receiver Danny Amendola capped off the drive with a 12-yard touchdown reception.

3 In A Row- From there, the Pats kept their feet firmly on the gas pedal, scoring touchdowns on their next two drives for three total scores to open up the afternoon. Covering 226 yards over the first three drives, Garoppolo and company carved up the Miami defense, especially the weak secondary.

Jimmy G Dominating-

O-Line Looking Good- With the offensive line being one of the weakest units of this New England team and the defensive line being one of the top strengths of Miami, there was concern about how the blocking would be for the Patriots' offense. The line, which got starting left tackle Nate Solder back from injury this week, has performed well through the first half, however. Against the pass rushing unit of the Dolphins, the line did a nice job of providing time for Garoppolo to find his receivers and move the ball. While they haven't been perfect, the unit has given as strong an effort as could be expected against a powerhouse line that includes the likes of Ndamukong Suh and Cameron Wake.

Winning The Turnover Battle- After a Week 1 win, in which they had the rare occurrence of losing the turnover battle 2-0 at Arizona, the Patriots have gotten back on track. The team, which has consistently had a positive turnover differential, had two takeaways in the first half including a fumble recovery and interception. They did turn the ball over once, on a fumble, but were able to quickly cause a turnover to get the ball back and have a plus-one margin for the game.

Switching Things Up- The Patriots will have to get a little creative and probably very conservative in the second half with Brissett at the helm. Good news is they have a 21-point cushion and the defense has looked strong, allowing just a lone field goal right before the half. Look for the Pats to get run heavy and try to kill the clock on offense, while relying on their offense to coast to a victory.