The most entertaining Patriots game in years was equal parts slop and surprise.

For the second time in NFL history, a kick return touchdown immediately followed a punt return touchdown.

For the first time in almost three years, the Pats scored more than 30 points.

And who could forget their 14 missed tackles, dozen penalties, or Milton Williams’ game-ending sack?

That sack perfectly punctuated a fourth quarter where the Patriots’ defense more than quadrupled its pressure rate from earlier in the game to preserve a win.

That’s right.

While slogging through the South Florida heat for three-plus hours, the Pats’ pass rush actually strengthened as the game wore on. And they can thank the football gods it did.

The Patriots blitzed just once — once! — after bombarding the Raiders with 17 blitzes in their season opeenr. Were it not for Williams and the defensive line — and, of course, half of De’Von Achane’s left foot landing out of bounds on a would-be touchdown run — the Pats would be 0-2. But hey, that’s football, and that’s the NFL; a game of inches and a league founded on clutch.

Few coaches know that better than Mike Vrabel, who steeled his team ahead of what many expected to be a toss-up game. It was a street fight he predicted, and a street fight he received. The Patriots didn’t flinch Sunday, no matter how many times they stubbed their toe or lined up incorrectly or false-started.

Which brings us to Drake Maye.

Fresh off a frustrating season opener, Maye threw four incompletions and scored three touchdowns. He finished with zero turnovers. No doubt, a soft, disorganized Dolphins defense helped. But this was the quarterback you had been hoping to see in Year 2, and Maye’s potential remains the single greatest reason for Patriots optimism.

He could — and should — be special.

Now, reasons for doubt? The Patriots’ pass coverage without Christian Gonzalez, their atrocious inside linebacker play and roller-coaster special teams, which give any adoring fan a heart attack at a moment’s notice.

Good thing they’ve still got 15 games and 16 weeks to go.

Here’s what else the film revealed about the Patriots’ first win:

Drake Maye

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 14: Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots calls out the play during the first quarter against the Miami Dolphins in the game at Hard Rock Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)

19-of-23 for 230 yards, 2 TDs, 31 rushing yards (TD)

Accurate throw percentage: 86.4%

Under pressure: 4-of-5 for 106 yards, 3 sacks, 25 rushing yards, rushing TD

Against the blitz: 6-of-7 for 83 yards, TD, sack

Behind the line: 3-of-3 for 30 yards

0-9 yards downfield: 12-of-14 for 99 yards

10-19 yards downfield: 2-of-3 for 30 yards, TD

20+ yards downfield: 2-of-2 for 71 yards, TD

Notes: Pick nits if you must. But this was Maye at his best.

Look no further than his 55-yard pass on a crucial third down late in the third quarter with the offense backed up at its own 24-yard line. Before the snap, Maye identified Miami’s man-to-man coverage and alerted to a man-beater concept. He dropped back, slipped a closing edge-rusher, moved up in the pocket, kept his eyes downfield and delivered a strike to Rhamondre Stevenson in stride for the longest completion of his career. Two plays later, Maye escaped from an unblocked rusher and scrambled for a six-yard touchdown.

Those plays highlighted a massive jump in his play under pressure compared to the opener (4-of-11, 41 yards, INT, 4 sacks). A week ago, Maye melted in a second half that cost the Patriots a win against Las Vegas. In Miami, he played with a veteran’s pocket presence and a control that allowed for one of the most accurate games of his career.

He diagnosed blitz pressure consistently, including moments before his 16-yard touchdown pass to Kayshon Boutte. He trusted his reads post-snap and threw with conviction, resisting the young passer’s temptation to chase an extended play over a short, on-time completion. Credit to Josh McDaniels, too, for dialing up simpler, straightforward reads. More on him later.

Sunday’s winning difference was how Maye and the Patriots applied more pressure than they felt. And never, not once, did he risk a turnover.

That’s maturity. That’s progress.

Critical areas

New Englan Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel reacts during the second half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Turnovers: Patriots 0, Dolphins 1

Explosive play rate: Patriots 9.1%, Dolphins 9.6%

Success rate: Patriots 49%, Dolphins 47%

Red-zone efficiency: Patriots 3-4, Dolphins 1-2

Defensive pressure rate: Patriots 38%, Dolphins 32.5%

Offense

Game plan

Personnel breakdown: 42% of snaps in 11 personnel, 40% snaps in 12 personnel, 12% snaps in 21H personnel, 6% snaps in 13 personnel.***

Personnel production: 59% success rate in 11 personnel, 47% success rate in 12 personnel, 16% success rate in 21H personnel, 66% success rate in 13 personnel.

First-down down play-calls: 45% pass (70% success rate), 55% run (25% success rate)

Play-action rate: 25.8%

Holy Shanahan, Batman.

Josh McDaniels orchestrated an old-school Kyle Shanahan game plan to re-establish the run after losing all semblance of run-pass balance in the opener. Early on, the Patriots favored outside zone run concepts from under center and play-action bootleg throws off those same runs. McDaniels also upped their rate of pre-snap motion, going from 28.3% to 56.7%, per Sharp Football Analysis; all basic tests for an undisciplined defense like Miami’s. This plan simultaneously simplified life for Maye which, as covered above, helped.

Maye hit his first explosive play on a Shanahan passing staple — Leak — where veteran tight end Austin Hooper aligned on the right side of the formation, slipped underneath the defense during a play-action fake and up the left sideline for a 22-yard gain. Two plays later, Maye hit Mack Hollins on a bootleg play-action pass for a touchdown that capped their opening drive. On that play, the Pats exploited bad eye discipline from Dolphins cornerback Jack Jones, a player they clearly targeted along with middle linebacker Tyrel Dodson.

Rhamondre Stevenson shows why he’s still Patriots’ top running back in win

McDaniels also set Miami up by using Hollins as an in-line blocker at the start of the drive, then had him slow-play his route on the touchdown pass as if he was blocking again before speeding downfield. Details, details, details.

In all, the Patriots went under center on 56% of their snaps compared to 29% in the opener. By the end, their run-game split (between zone-blocking and man-blocked runs) was close to 50/50; a wise balance after leaning heavily on outside zone in the first half that later yielded long man-blocked runs.

Curiously, this plan mirrored how Vrabel’s Titans used to run offense under former offensive coordinators Matt LaFleur and Arthur Smith. In addition, New Patriots assistants Thomas Brown and Todd Downing majored in these concepts in previous jobs, and may have influenced the plan.

Final notes: the Patriots chose pick-route combinations to free their best running backs downfield on a couple critical third downs. First, TreVeyon Henderson picked up 15 yards on a third-down wheel route, then Stevenson gained 55 on another vertical route to convert third-and-3. McDaniels also timed his screens better than he did a week ago, gaining 30 yards and two first downs on three attempts.

Player stats

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 14: Rhamondre Stevenson #38 of the New England Patriots carries the ball against the Miami Dolphins during the first quarter in the game at Hard Rock Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Broken tackles: RB Rhamondre Stevenson 6, RB TreVeyon Henderson 3, QB Drake Maye

Pressure allowed: Team 6 (sack, 5 hurries), RB TreVeyon Henderson (sack), TE Hunter Henry (sack), OT Morgan Moses (hurry), OG Mike Onwenu (hurry)

Run stuffs allowed: None

Drops: Henry

Notes

• What a difference a week makes. The Patriots’ offensive line allowed only two pressures in pass protection and created enough running lanes to allow for a 122-yard day on the ground. Sometimes, it’s as simple as moving bodies.
• Hat tips specifically to rookies Will Campbell and Jared Wilson. Both players committed penalties (Campbell had a false start and Wilson got caught holding), but the Pats can win a lot of games if they keep playing like that.
• Campbell’s athleticism helped him neutralize Pro Bowl pass rusher Bradley Chubb in several 1-on-1 battles, the most impressive snaps any O-lineman took.
• Veteran center Garrett Bradbury has yet to allow a pressure this year. Right guard Mike Onwenu let his only pressure slip up the middle on a stunt he and right tackle Morgan Moses handled much better than last week, when it led to a Maye interception.
• Speaking of Moses, his three false starts obviously cannot happen again. He was limping late in the second half, so credit to him for finishing the game, but expect to see seventh-round rookie Marcus Bryant perhaps sooner than later.
• Most of the Patriots’ allowed pressures were a byproduct of scheme; either Miami outnumbering them on the rush or the Pats inviting blitzers on screen passes. The Pats also yielded pressure through missed assignments (Maye’s second sack) and poor design, like tight ends repeatedly blocking defensive ends by themselves.
• No hat tips for this rookie: TreVeyon Henderson. He allowed a sack and got flagged three (!) times for holding, including once on special teams. Those reps will only cement his place behind Stevenson on the depth chart, no matter how explosive he is.
• Stevenson’s six broken tackles marked a single-game high for him dating back to last October.
• Is it time to worry about the Patriots’ wide receivers? Not quite yet, but it sure is notable none of them had 35 receiving yards against a bad secondary, and they’ve combined for just three catches versus man-to-man coverage this season.
• DeMario Douglas — their best wideout this summer and most productive last year —- has already lot snaps to Stefon Diggs (15 to 31 for Diggs). And Diggs is not only not separating well, but his effort on plays where he isn’t supposed to get the ball bears watching.
• Over a four-play stretch late in the first half, he barely attempted a downfield block on a screen to Henderson and then a pick-route combination intended to free Stevenson for an open catch in the flat. But because Diggs didn’t slow Stevenson’s defender at all, he was tackled for no gain.

Defense

Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa throws during the second half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Game plan

Personnel breakdown: 76% three-corner nickel package, 17% three-safety nickel, 7% dime.****

Coverage breakdown: 85% zone, 15% man

Blitz rate: 2.5%

Blitz efficacy: 100% offensive success rate and 13.0 yards per play allowed

The Patriots trusted their four-man rush to pressure Tua Tagovailoa without help and their back seven to keep Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Co. in front with a zone-heavy plan. They blitzed once, and rotated through versions of their base quarters coverage (AKA Cover 4), lots of disguised Cover 2 and some Cover 3 Buzz. Once the Dolphins burned them on a few man-to-man calls during a 2-minute drill that closed the first half, the Patriots were spooked out of man-coverage almost completely.

Vrabel wanted to control the middle of the field and bait Tagovailoa into low-percentage, outside throws that would test his arm strength. Tagovailoa took that dare by hitting several corner routes and deep curls, plus a few easy flat completions. The Patriots banked on their front four and a couple of turnovers late to save them.

Luckily, Williams and Barmore (39 and 38 defensive snaps, respectively) had enough in the tank, and Harold Landry added a sack, too.

Now, Tagovailoa also had couple prayers answered along the way, including the 47-yard duck he completed to Tyreek Hill, who stopped on a go route to come back for the ball against a struggling Alex Austin. And the Dolphins’ run game, thanks to some creative shifts and motions, out-flanked the Patriots early for a 6.9 yards per carry average in the first half. But once the Pats got a handle on the run, they put the game back on Tagovailoa’s shoulders, where they wanted it all along.

Player stats

Interception: LB Marte Mapu

Pressure: DL Milton Williams 4 (2 sacks, 2 hurries), DL Christian Barmore 4 (QB hit, 3 hurries), OLB Harold Landry 2 (sack, QB hit), OLB K’Lavon Chaisson 2 (sack, hurry), LB Robert Spillane 2 (sack, hurry), CB Alex Austin (hurry)

Run stuffs: LB Christian Elliss, CB Marcus Jones, Barmore, Team

Pass deflections: Spillane

Missed tackles: Spillane 5, LB Christian Elliss 3, S Craig Woodson, CB Carlton Davis, CB Marcus Jones, CB Alex Austin, Barmore, Chaisson

Notes

• Until further notice, this is not a good defense. The Pats allowed too many explosive plays in Week 1, and whiffed on too many tackles Sunday. Lots of work to do.
• Three pressures in three quarters. That, more than anything else, explains the Dolphins’ dominance, which included four straight scoring drives heading into the fourth quarter.
• Throw in 14 missed tackles — five courtesy of inside linebacker Robert Spillane and three more from Christian Elliss — and no wonder Miami had a field day. Running back De’Von Achane exploited both players at different times, and became a problem the Patriots never solved.
• Achane scored a touchdown against Spillane’s man-to-man coverage when the Patriots played their lone snap of Cover 2 man just before halftime.
• Combined, Spillane and Elliss have missed 14 this season; an untenable rate for the linchpins of Vrabel’s scheme.
• Eventually, hydration issues forced Elliss off the field, leaving Jack Gibbens and Marte Mapu to split his snaps. Mapu took the field one play before he snatched his fourth-down interception in the final minutes. That play encapsulated the biggest defensive difference for New England: better pressure and a turnover to stop the bleeding.
• Milton Williams dominated in big moments. Christian Barmore less so, but this defense goes as they go.
• One smaller difference in coverage: safeties Jaylinn Hawkins and Craig Woodson squeezed routes more tightly in the second half when playing quarters coverage, which — in simplest terms — often morphs from true zone to man-to-man as receivers’ routes declare.
• Their play prevented Tagovailoa from pulling the trigger on throws to Hill and Waddle he’d hit earlier in the game and forced him to continue scanning the field.
• No plan or coverage, however, could keep Alex Austin from all 1-on-1 matchups. Austin struggled throughout, unable to keep up with Hill’s speed or Waddle’s quickness. He should rebound, but the Patriots need Christian Gonzalez to solidify their secondary.
• Harold Landry, iron man. He played 91% of the team’s defensive snaps opposite K’Lavon Chaisson, who finished at 88%. Chaisson got flagged twice for being offside.
• Marcus Jones was the only defender to play 100% of the team’s defensive snaps.
• A scheme quibble: more dime coverage in passing situations. The Pats replaced Spillane with Mapu for a single snap of dime personnel in the third quarter, but that was it. Play six defensive backs, and match speed with speed.

*Explosive plays are defined as runs of 12-plus yards and passes of 20-plus yards.

**Success rate is an efficiency metric measuring how often an offense stays on schedule. A play is successful when it produces positive EPA (Expected Points Added).

***11 personnel = one running back, one tight end; 12 personnel = one running back, two tight ends; 13 personnel = two backs, two tight ends; 21 personnel = two backs, one tight end; 21H = two halfbacks, one tight ends.

****Base defense = four defensive backs; nickel = five; dime = six, dollar = seven.