While it wasn’t the same as watching the New England Patriots, it was certainly nice to watch the NFL’s 2021 regular season officially get underway last night. Watching old friend Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was a bit of a consolation (or not, depending on how you view the situation).
Either way, the Buccaneers thrilling win over the Dallas Cowboys was the perfect start to the NFL season. We got a great game between two high powered offenses that came down to the final minute. There’s not much more you can ask for in a football game, let alone the opening game of the season.
It certainly has added to the excitement for the rest of the league to play their first games later this weekend, and the Patriots are no exception. Fans have been eagerly awaiting Week 1 since the end of last season’s disappointing 7-9 finish. Only adding to the excitement is the fact that we will get to see rookie quarterback Mac Jones make his first regular season start in this one.
While Jones will certainly be fun to watch, there are numerous other Pats players that you should pay attention to as well. The same can be said about the Patriots Week 1 opponent, the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins have a very talented squad, and could end up walking out of Gillette Stadium with a win if everything goes their way. Let’s take a look at three Dolphins players you should keep an eye on during New England’s Week 1 action.
The New England Patriots will need to watch out for these 3 players on Miami
Miami Dolphins player to watch No. 3: Jaylen Waddle
Jaylen Waddle had a very limited college career, but still managed to cement himself as the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft anyways. After seeing a lot of the media attention go to Ja’Marr Chase and his drops, or Devonta Smith and whether Heisman winner can translate his college skills to the NFL, Waddle has flown somewhat under the radar this summer. But make no mistake about it; Waddle is dangerous player who could inflict some damage on New England in Week 1.
Similar to his former Alabama Crimson Tide teammate Mac Jones on the other sideline, this will Waddle’s first game of his career. Considering his limited action in college (he only had 131 targets over three seasons) Waddle is a bit of a wild card in this one. That makes him dangerous.
Albeit, Waddle was already dangerous to begin with. He’s lightning fast, has great athleticism, and can rip off a big play at any point in the game. At his best, he offers the potential of being a Tyreek Hill type player.
Waddle is a bit of an undersized receiver coming in at 5’10 and 182 pounds, meaning he will probably see a lot of Patriots slot corner Jonathan Jones on Sunday afternoon. The problem is Waddle can line up both in the slot and on the outside too, so it will be interesting to see whether the Pats elect to shadow him with Jones, or switch up their matchups throughout the game.
While his running mate DeVante Parker is a much more established player at this stage of the game, Waddle’s explosiveness makes him a much more dangerous threat to New England. The Patriots don’t really have anyone that can match Waddle’s speed step for step, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Dolphins take a few shots down the field for Waddle. If they can hit those deep throws, it could spell trouble for the New England Patriots.
Miami Dolphins player to watch No. 2: Jerome Baker
Jerome Baker has developed into one of the more underrated linebackers in the game throughout his first three seasons in the league for the Dolphins. He was rewarded for his improvements over the offseason when Miami handed him a three year extension worth $39 million. As the leader of Miami’s linebacker corps, Baker will play a big role in the outcome of this contest.
Baker did a bit of everything last season for the Dolphins. He led the team in tackles for the second season straight, racking up 112 last season. He also picked up seven sacks on the season to go along with that total, which was more than his first two seasons combined. Baker also showed notable improvements in coverage, which was probably his biggest weakness last season.
Considering just how good Miami’s secondary is, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Pats target their tight ends more often than not in this one. And Baker will be a big part of Miami’s gameplan to slow down New England’s tandem of Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith.
Baker plays closer to the line of scrimmage, so he will be responsible for the tight ends pretty much anytime they stay with 5-10 yards of the line of scrimmage. This means he will have to watch out for Henry and Smith on shallow crossing routes, spot routes, and when they roll into the flat. Obviously this won’t all fall on Baker and he will have help, but he’s going to be the one leading the charge.
If the Patriots struggle to get their passing game going in this one, Baker will have a large part in their struggles. Baker showed improvements in pass coverage last season, but he’s going to be tested early and often by the New England Patriots in this one. A good portion of Miami’s defensive success relies on Baker this week, and it will definitely be worthwhile to keep an eye on the young linebacker.
Miami Dolphins player to watch No. 1: Tua Tagovailoa
It’s amazing to think about how this could be a make-or-break season for Tua Tagovailoa. Despite it being just his second season in the pros, Tagovailoa struggled with consistency last season, and it reportedly led Miami to sniff around the quarterback market. They ended up standing pat for now, but their willingness to explore the market shows they aren’t necessarily committed to Tagovailoa in the future.
It’s only fitting that Tagovailoa would be the most important piece of Miami’s offense in this game, and probably the rest of the season as well. Whereas New England has built their offense around the run game to help their young quarterback, Miami went out and got Tagovailoa more options to help improve the passing game. We already mentioned Waddle, but Miami also added Will Fuller V in free agency, although he will miss this game as he finishes serving a suspension.
Miami is clearly depending on Tagovailoa to take a step forward this season, and he will get his first chance to prove he’s the man for the job against a tough New England Patriots defense. Tagovailoa beat the Pats in his first matchup against them last season, although he wasn’t necessarily fantastic passing the ball. He will face a tougher challenge this time around.
The Patriots reloaded at pretty much every position on defense this offseason, and have the potential to make Tagovailoa’s Sunday afternoon miserable. Whether Tagovailoa shows up or not will determine whether this game is close or whether this game is a laugher.
Tagovailoa has shown fleeting spurts of his potential throughout his limited time as Miami’s starter, and when he’s in his groove he’s dangerous. With new weapons at his disposal, he is well-equipped to be able to take the next step in his development this season. If Tagovailoa gets going, things could end up going poorly for the New England Patriots in this one.