FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — It was Tua Tagovailoa who got the last laugh as he and the Dolphins were able to fend off his former Alabama teammate Mac Jones and the New England Patriots during their Week 1 opener, 17-16. Turnovers were naturally a key storyline, particularly late in the fourth quarter where it seemed like both sides were playing hot potato. The Patriots appeared to be on the doorstep of a comeback win after Jonathan Jones was able to pick off Tagovailoa, but a Damien Harris fumble gave the momentum — and inside track to the win — back to Miami, which was able to simply run out the clock to move to 1-0 on the season.
Tagovailoa, who is entering Year 2 with the Dolphins, completed 16 of his 27 throws for 202 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Rookie Jaylen Waddle made his NFL debut and caught four of his six targets from Tagovailoa for 61 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Mac Jones, New England’s 2021 first-round pick, performed well in his first taste of real NFL action. He had some first-drive jitters that nearly resulted in a turnover but eventually settled down to complete 29 of his 39 throws for 281 yards and a touchdown. Nelson Agholor was on the receiving end of the Patriots’ lone touchdown of the day and recorded a team-high 72 yards on five catches.
From here, the Dolphins will return to Miami and await the defending AFC East champion Buffalo Bills, who are coming off a Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. As for New England, it will go on the road for the first time this season and take on the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.
Can the Dolphins repeat their 10-win season? What can you expect from Tua in year two? Get the CBS Sports app and find out! If you already have the app, set the Dolphins as your favorite team for even faster news updates.
