The New England Patriots went back to work in Miami for Week 2, entering an environment of Hard Rock Stadium where New England hasn't won since 2019.
The Patriots got off to a great start, scoring on their opening drive and looking like a more composed team than the one that took the field in Week 1. It started with quarterback Drake Maye being more confident in the offense in his second week.
On the other side of the ball, the defense struggled as the game went on and it really showed when the Dolphins ran their two-minute offense at the end of the first half, as Tua Tagovailoa carved the Patriots defense en route to scoring a touchdown.
This was another great test for New England on the defensive side of the ball, trying to contain both Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle while being without top cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
Here are six takeaways from the Patriots' Week 2 victory.
1. Balanced Offensive Attack
The most important takeaway from Week 1 was the lack of a run game, calling only 13 running plays to their running backs, and Maye attempting 46 passes total in the game on 53 dropbacks.
In this game, however, the Patriots established the run with three consecutive plays on the ground and then finished the first half with 20 attempts for 102 yards.
The run game allowed Maye to be more poised and confident during his pre-snap reads at the line of scrimmage, with the defense needing to respect the run.
The Patriots finished the game with 29 attempts for 129 yards. After a week of a 46-18 pass-to-run ratio, the Patriots followed up with a balanced 23-29 ratio in Week 2.
- Rhamondre Stevenson: 11 carries for 54 yards
- Drake Maye: 10 carries for 31 yards
- Antonio Gibson: 5 carries for 27 yards
- TreVeyon Henderson: 3 carries for 10 yards
2. Drake Maye Composed
Maye looked composed and confident since he first stepped onto the field for his first drive, leading his team to an opening drive score. In the first half, he only had two incompletions, and it was one in each quarter. He didn’t throw consecutive incompletions in the first half, finishing 12-of-14 for 129 yards.
Maye finished the game 19-of-23 for 230 yards and two touchdowns, he also had 31 rushing yards and scored on the ground as well.
3. Defensive Secondary Struggles
The defense entered Week 2 shorthanded again in the defensive secondary with Gonzalez missing his second consecutive game. In the second half, New England saw its starting safety Craig Woodson and cornerback Carlton Davis both get shaken up and have to go to the sidelines.
Cornerback Alex Austin stepped in for Gonzalez in the second straight game, allowing a touchdown to Jaylen Waddle by getting beaten on an inside release corner route for 18 yards.
4. Robert Spillane Missed Tackles
Top linebacker Robert Spillane, the commander of the defense and a team captain, left a bunch of tackles on the field today. He missed an open field tackle on Tyreek Hill in the flat, and then he got beaten in coverage by De’Von Achane, who went for a touchdown in the second quarter. This was really made obvious during the two-minute offense Miami ran at the end of the second quarter.
5. Andy Borregales Struggles Again
Rookie kicker Andy Borregales followed up a rough Week 1 with two extra point misses against Miami in Week 2. Then late in the fourth quarter, Borregales missed the landing zone on a kickoff, which gave the Dolphins great field position starting at the 40-yard line.
Borregales did make up for it by connecting on a 53-yard field goal strike.
Andy Borregales hits the 53-yard field goal.#Patriots 33, #Dolphins 27 pic.twitter.com/VkNbpUWwkm
— New England Sports Fellow (@NESportsFellow) September 14, 2025
6. Wide Receiver Report
The Patriots saw production from many receivers in Week 1, even if it was minimal, but in Week 2, there were only two wide receivers who saw more than two targets (Stefon Diggs- 5, Mack Hollins- 2).
Although Kayshon Boutte scored a touchdown, he only had one target. He made the most of it by scoring on a 16-yard one-handed catch in the end zone. The same can be said for Hollins scoring on his only reception of the game.
Demario Douglas only had one target.