Not all wins are created equal. Some mean more, say more about a team.
The Patriots 33-27 win over the Dolphins in Miami Sunday?
It spoke volumes on so many fronts. On some levels, it was a must-win for the Patriots to help endorse Mike Vrabel’s program. Mostly, it spoke to the character of the team.
The prevailing theme was the same no matter which side of the roster you looked: resilience.
The Patriots were down and thought to be in trouble in so many places. They still had issues. Unlike last week, they weren’t buried by them.
“I appreciate the character. We certainly don’t have to put it to the test all the time with mistakes and silly penalties or being offsides and having an interception,” Vrabel said, referring largely to last week’s debacle against the Raiders. “There’s a lot of things out there that we have to do better, but we didn’t pout, we didn’t drop our head.
“We went on to the next play, and we kept competing and I appreciate that. We’ve got to learn how to compete and believe that we can come down here and win football games, and I think they did.”
This was an important step for Vrabel and his football team, starting with the quarterback.
No one had a tougher week than Drake Maye, with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels a close second.
Maye sure didn’t look very comfortable or confident with his new offense Week 1 against the Raiders. He missed easy throws, and was tentative with just about every aspect of playing his position.
McDaniels, meanwhile, stood by his quarterback and his system. He had no doubt Maye would rebound and be just fine.
And, he did.
Maye (19 of 23 for 230 yards, 2 TDs) looked like a completely different quarterback from the start. He looked more like the quarterback everyone was hoping to see Year 2.
He made plays with his arm, and his legs, as he also ran for a touchdown. He was poised, and made accurate throws when he needed to. And, he improvised for scores, scrambling away from old friend Matthew Judon to scamper into the end zone.
For the Patriots to be competitive, to be in the hunt for a playoff spot down the road, this is the Maye the team needs to have under center.
The much-maligned offensive line, meanwhile, did a much better job run blocking, especially up the gut with Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson and TreVeyon Henderson gaining good chunks of yards between the tackles. There are still a few too many false starts, but collectively, this was a good effort by the group, winning the trench war against a good Dolphins front.
That allowed for a far more balanced attack than last week, with Maye making half as many attempts with a 29/23 run-pass split. The offense operated much better with an effective run game.
Stevenson?
There were some who thought he should no longer be the lead back after his anemic Week 1 performance, rushing 7 times for 15 yards.
Along with Maye, Stevenson was a significant contributor in Sunday’s win.
He moved the chains with second-effort runs, and made one of the sweetest catches you’ll ever see on a wheel route. He beat coverage down the right side line to grab Maye’s over-the-shoulder pass with his outstretched hands. He took that for a 55-yard gain, setting up a touchdown.
“I thought I overthrew it at first, and he made a great play,” Maye said. “I thought all three backs made a big impact today. Those guys up front blocked hard.”
Then there was Milton Williams, the $104 million dollar man. How could he possibly live up to that contract, being an every-down player for the first time?
By sacking Tua Tagovailoa with the game on the line. That’s how. Pivotal play, pivotal time. Game-sealing sack. That’s how to earn your keep.
As for kicker Andy Borregales, he couldn’t have sunk much lower on the popularity meter missing two extra points in the game. Those coming in wake of a missed field goal last week. He conceivably had one foot out the door when Vrabel sent him out for a 53-yard attempt that would force the Dolphins to score a touchdown.
Borregales nailed it.
“You’ve got to have a lot of confidence in him and I do have a lot of confidence. It didn’t waver,” Vrabel said. “I was going to try to go for the fourth-and-5 to try to get it there. Then when we got backed up, I immediately just kicked the field goal. I’m happy for Andy. That’s why he’s here. I thought after the first two he really settled down, and that’s what we’ll have to have.”
Vrabel was also facing a wave of doubters after a penalty-filled, mistake-filled Week 1 loss.
Wasn’t he supposed to be a difference-maker as a coach?
The Patriots hadn’t won in Miami since 2019.
And even with the Dolphins throwing up a stinker Week 1, not many expected the Patriots to conquer their demons at Hard Rock Stadium.
But they managed to prevail. The Patriots showed a ton of fight behind their head coach.
Following a 74-yard punt return for a touchdown by the Dolphins to take the lead in the fourth quarter, the Patriots countered with Antonio Gibson’s 90-yard kick return on the very next play.
There was no give-up after that possible game-changing play with just over seven minutes left to play.
Now, there are still plenty of issues. There are still too many penalties, too many missed tackles, too many missed kicks, too many explosive plays allowed.
Winning, and being 1-1, instead of 0-2, changes the outlook. It changes the mentality heading into Week 3 and beyond.
“It’s going to be easier to coach from a win,” Vrabel said. “We’ll be able to coach them hard and make sure we’re trying to fix the things that hurt us.”
Getting that first win, in Miami, could very well be a game-changer.
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