Dolphins Fall to 0-2 With Loss to Patriots

The Miami Dolphins were down from the start in their 31-24 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday.

Miami attempted a comeback, but fell short in the end. The Dolphins had been down 31-10 before a 14-point effort in the final quarter. New England was able to cling to the small lead as time ran out on Miami.

New England was without Tom Brady at quarterback and did not miss a beat in the first half. Despite losing Jimmy Garoppolo for the entire second half of the game, the Patriots still completed the win over Miami. Third string QB Jacoby Brissett had a decent day following Garoppolo's tremendous first half.

Garoppolo torched Miami's defense for 234 yards and three touchdowns. It was an effort that even Brady would have been hard-pressed to top. While that scoring went on for New England, the Dolphins only managed three points in the entire first half.

Ryan Tannehill found the end zone in the third quarter, but his team was already behind by a large deficit. Tannehill would add a second TD pass in th fourth quarter. Miami's quarterback finished the game with 389 yards on 32-45 passing. In addition to the two touchdowns, Tannehill threw two interceptions and had a QB rating of 93.7 on the day. Tannehill's second INT came in the final seconds with Miami driving to tie the game.

The news wasn't good on the ground for Miami as Arian Foster left the game early with a groin injury. Foster's status for next week is undetermined at this point. Without Foster, the Dolphins turned to Jay Ajayi at running back and he had a tough game which included a lost fumble. Ajayi will likely be the starting RB if Foster misses any more action. Kenyan Drake who could also compete for RB time scored a TD during the fourth quarter to bring Miami closer.

Kenny Stills who dropped what looked like a sure-touchdown pass last week, came down with a reception this time around. Stills was responsible for Miami's first TD of the game as part of a 39-yard day. Jordan Cameron caught Miami's other touchdown in the air.