No more training camp. No more preseason. No more speculation.
When the Patriots take the field on Sunday against the Dolphins in Week 1, it's going to be for real. That means New England will finally get their chance to silence critics who are struggling to see how their seemingly disjointed plan can lead to success -- and those who believe Miami has surpassed them after its comparatively all-in off-season.
Obviously, the biggest focus will be on quarterback Mac Jones and what he does both to avenge last year’s Week 18 struggles in Miami and counter Josh Allen’s hell-raising Thursday night performance.
But if the Patriots are going to win on Sunday, they’ll need a lot of help from other key players.
Rhamondre Stevenson
With Ty Montgomery (ankle) limited in practice this week, it could fall to Stevenson to take on an even bigger role than expected on Sunday with unproven options behind him and Damien Harris.
Though Harris has improved as a receiver this summer, Stevenson is the more natural receiver of the two both in terms of running routes and catching the football. The Patriots used James White out of the backfield to beat Miami's man coverage schemes in Week 1 last year, and they might rely on Stevenson to do the same this time around.
What's more: a potentially blitz-heavy game plan from the Dolphins could make Stevenson's pass protection extremely important in this game. Opposing defenses have had success getting defensive backs home on Mac Jones this preseason, and the Dolphins will almost certainly have noticed that.
Stevenson (and Harris, when he's in the game) will need to be on top of their blitz pickup assignments and show urgency in getting out for check-downs when they have no one to block. One mistake leading to a sack and/or forced fumble could cost the Patriots offense more than it can afford.
Devin McCourty
Jonathan Jones will get a lot of the headlines for the times he'll work 1-on-1 against Tyreek Hill on Sunday for good or ill. But as modest as McCourty is about it, the effort to contain the Dolphins won't just be about Jones vs. Hill or any single matchup.
McCourty's ability to cover the deep part of the field will be essential when it comes to keeping Hill, Jaylen Waddle and a potentially explosive Miami skill group in check.
Whatever you think of Tua Tagovailoa's arm strength, the Dolphins would certainly love to hit Hill or Waddle with a deep shot down the field to create an explosive play or use the threat of their tremendous speed to open up throwing windows in the middle of the field. Fortunately, McCourty's combination of experience and speed (even at age 35) should make Tagovailoa think twice before getting cavalier.
The veteran safety had two opportunities to pick the Dolphins quarterback last year on errant throws but came up empty. Perhaps he'll get a chance or two at redemption this weekend.
Nelson Agholor
At this point, we know Jakobi Meyers and Hunter Henry have Mac Jones' trust based on last year's performance. DeVante Parker is coming along as a back-shoulder, contested-catch target, and Kendrick Bourne, despite spending time in the doghouse this summer, showed signs of his old form in Preseason Week 3.
But this receiving corps might pivot on a resurgent Agholor in 2022.
Albeit in a limited sample size, the Patriots used Agholor as a slot receiver on 52 percent of his snaps in preseason (13-of-25 snaps). For perspective, he never lined up in the slot once last preseason in 14 snaps and played 90 percent of his snaps out wide during the 2021 regular season.
The willingness to move Agholor around formations and use his twitchy route-running and speed in the middle of the field has made him more dangerous, with his dominant week of practice against the Carolina Panthers an example of how far he's come in his second year with New England.
The Dolphins, in particular, will be thinner at the cornerback spot than they'd like on Sunday with starter Byron Jones out for the first four weeks of the season. If Agholor and Jones can beat blitzes like they did this preseason and give the dynamic receiver space to run after the catch, the Patriots could gash the Dolphins' defense on Sunday.
Christian Barmore
Matthew Judon will, of course, should play a big role in getting after Tagovailoa and has looked every bit as good as he did to start last season to this point.
But Barmore will arguably be more important to this game for a few reasons.
First, as much as this gets downplayed, the Patriots absolutely cannot allow the Dolphins to run on them the way they did in Week 18 last year (195 yards rushing -- 117 by Duke Johnson -- and a touchdown allowed). Barmore and the defensive interior has to break the Dolphins when they run on early downs and force the ball into Tagovailoa's hands.
Then, Barmore needs to impose his will on a offensive interior for the Dolphins that shouldn't frighten anyone.
Tagovailoa can likely step up in the pocket and get the ball out of his hands in the time it takes Judon to blunt-force his way through the likes of Austin Jackson. But Barmore blowing up the pocket from the middle will make things infinitely more difficult for Tagovailoa and could coerce him into making bad decisions on the run, which has created takeaways for the Patriots in the past against the third-year passer.
After finishing top-10 among interior defenders in pressures (48) as a rookie, it's time for Barmore to turn it up a notch as a full-time starter from the jump.
Trent Brown
The Patriots are making a big bet on the team's biggest man, and it's time to see if he's up to the challenge.
Brown figures to be the Patriots' top option at left tackle after switching with Isaiah Wynn during the off-season, and he's arguably the best offensive lineman on the team when he's healthy and engaged.
The health hasn't been an issue, but the engagement has for whatever reason -- ESPN's Mike Reiss suggested he was even benched for the second preseason game against the Panthers because the Patriots didn't like the way he practiced.
He'll undoubtedly show up ready to work on Sunday, and he needs to help lead the way for a running game that sorely requires his bull-dozing style whether they're running outside zones or gap plays. His pass protection in true drop-back reps has also generally been solid.
But he and the other tackles have to be disciplined in fixing the mistakes that plagued them in preseason, such as Brown seemingly neglecting to climb off a double-team and allowing Rhamondre Stevenson to get dropped in the backfield against the Raiders or Wynn apparently losing track of a blitzing safety walloped Mac Jones on an incompletion in the same game.
The Patriots have shown trust in Brown after two other teams gave up on him. It's time for him to hold up his end, stay on the field and play the way he's capable of. Doing so could lift the fortunes of this offensive line considerably.
