FOXBOROUGH -- Cam Newton's Patriots debut was a success Sunday afternoon at an empty Gillette Stadium as New England began the post-Tom Brady era with a 21-11 win over the Miami Dolphins.
Here's a look at some of the personnel highs and lows from the season-opening win in Foxborough.
Thumbs up
Cam Newton – Captain and starting QB rambled for 10 yards on his first zone read play as a Patriot. No. 1's debut was impressive overall, even though his first throw was dropped over the deep middle by Julian Edelman to negate a potential nice gain. He walked into the end zone for an easy 4-yard TD run in the second quarter. He galloped just inside the right pylon for an 11-yard rushing score in the third quarter after which he let center David Andrews spike the ball. Newton – who finished completing 15 of 19 passes for 155 yards and ran a game-high 15 times for a game-high 75 yards (including kneel-downs) and a pair of scores – is fitting in quite nicely so far in Foxborough. He looked healthy, happy and productive.
A star is reborn.
Josh McDaniels – It's only one week, and no one including the Dolphins knew what to expect, but the Patriots new-look, Newton-led offense ran well right out of the gates. No surprisingly, there was a focus on the running game, both for Newton and his backs. McDaniels used a four-WR set for Newton's goal line TD run. There was read option, plenty of formations despite limitations at wide receiver and tight end and enough overall offense to get the win. McDaniels certainly got the coaching advantage over the Dolphins defense overseen by former Patriots defensive coordinator and current Miami coach Brian Flores.
Turnovers – New England's secondary picked up where it left off a year ago in terms of interceptions. Stephon Gilmore got things going with his first interception of the year. Adrian Phillips picked off his first pass in a Patriots uniform. J.C. Jackson added to the fun late with a game-sealing pick in the final two minutes. Though New England wasn't able to turn any of the three interceptions into points, it did stay on the positive side of the turnover ratio. N'Keal Harry had the only Patriots giveaway of the afternoon when he lost the ball while diving for the end zone on a would-be touchdown attempt. More often than not when you win the turnover battle you win the game. The Patriots did just that and will need to continue to do so all season.
Julian Edelman – After dropping Newton's first attempt, Edelman was his usual productive self the rest of the way working with his new franchise QB. Edelman finished catching five passes on a game-high seven targets for 55 yards. He also added in a 23-yard run. Edelman's numbers may not reach the same heights in the Patriots new-look, run-heavy offense. But he showed he can still be a key cog in the passing attack at the age of 34 while building a rapport with a new passer.
Thumbs down
Sony Michel – With Damien Harris on IR, Michel should get the early part of the season to attempt to retain his lead back role. That didn't get off to much of a start against Miami. Michel had just 37 yards on 10 attempts, continuing the trend from a year ago of averaging less than 4 yards a carry, although he did have a 1-yard TD in the fourth quarter. His long carry went for 7 yards, which paled in comparison to the injection of life that undrafted rookie J.J. Taylor brought to the offense in the second half, when he ran for 28 yards on just four attempts, including an 11-yard burst. Michel's production continues to put his future opportunities in doubt, or it should anyway.
Josh Uche – The rookie – who NBC picked as the potential Defensive Rookie of the Year – was a healthy scratch for his NFL debut. No need to overact, but it's also certainly not ideal that the second-round pick wasn't in the game plan mix for Miami despite the Patriots obvious lack of options at linebacker.
Nick Folk – The veteran kicker was called up from the practice squad to work the game. It didn't work out for the veteran who was solid for Bill Belichick over the second half of last season. Folk missed a 45-yard attempt short and to the right late in the second quarter that never had a chance.
