Miami Dolphins Week 1 Report Card

Breaking down how each position group performed for the Miami Dolphins during their 21-11 loss against the New England Patriots

The Miami Dolphins left Gillette Stadium with a 10-point loss in their season opener against the New England Patriots, and it's time to hand out grades to every position for their performance in that game.

Quarterback

This obviously becomes a grade on Ryan Fitzpatrick, whose numbers were less than impressive. Fitzpatrick completed 20 of 30 passes for 191 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions and a passer rating of 44.6. Fitzpatrick also had 18 rushing yards on five carries, including a quarterback sneak to pick up a first down. The passing numbers obviously weren't good, but he clearly wasn't helped by his receivers and two of the three picks came as a result of his receiver being bumped off his route. So his performance, while not great, wasn't nearly as bad as the numbers would indicate. Grade: C-

Running backs

The Dolphins ended up with 87 rushing yards on 27 carries (an uninspiring 3.2 average), though obviously the backs need for the blocking up front to help them. Myles Gaskin clearly was the best of the group, as he led the team with 40 yards on nine attempts while tying for the team lead with four receptions. The longest run of the game for the Dolphins was a 12-yard scramble by Fitzpatrick. There were no glaring mistakes, though no big plays. Grade: C-

Wide receivers

DeVante Parker was off to a good start with four catches for 47 yards in the first half, but he left the game with a hamstring injury and he also loses some points for failing to get beyond the first-down marker on his first catch. Preston Williams caught only two of the seven passes thrown his way, though he did draw two pass-interference penalties on Stephon Gilmore. He also had the longest offensive play of the game for the Dolphins with a 21-yard reception. Isaiah Ford and Jakeem Grant weren't factors. Grade: D

Tight ends

The Dolphins opened the game with both Durham Smythe and Mike Gesicki on the field, though Smythe didn't get many snaps after that. The blocking up front was so-so from all parties involved. Gesicki was the only tight end to catch a pass and he finished with three receptions for 30 yards, including a nifty low catch near the middle of the field. Grade: C+

Offensive line

The new-look offensive line has a solid, if not spectacular debut. The run blocking was respectable and the pass protection actually was impressive. Fitzpatrick was sacked only once, that coming on the final drive of the game. Ereck Flowers was flagged for the only penalty on the line, an unnecessary holding after Matt Breida had gained the first down on a running play. Overall, it was a respectable first performance by this group. Grade: C+

Defensive line

It's going to be difficult to give high grades for the defensive line when the Patriots rushed for 217 yards, even though Christian Wilkins had himself a spectacular first half. Davon Godchaux had a tackle for loss, but overall was quiet. It was a disappointing performance for newcomers Emmanuel Ogbah and Shaq Lawson, who both lost containment on the edge on big running plays for New England. Lawson did have a quarterback hit. Grade: C-

Linebackers

Jerome Baker certainly was active, finishing with a team-high 16 tackles, forcing the only takeaway for the defense but also getting flagged twice for roughness penalties. One problem with Baker's stats is that only one of his tackles came on a play that gained less than 4 yards, and that was his sack when he got to Cam Newton on a blitz. Still, that counts for something, as did his ability to force a fumble at the goal line that turned a likely 21-3 Dolphins deficit into a turnover that kept the score 14-3 and gave Miami the ball. None of the other linebackers really were factors and they all have to share responsibility for New England's gaudy rushing totals. Grade: C

Secondary

Newton attempted only 19 passes, but he misfired on only four of them. Newton completed three consecutive passes at the start of the second half to quickly march the Patriots to a second touchdown. Bobby McCain did have a nice pass breakup against Julian Edelman in the first half. Rookie Brandon Jones was in on 10 tackles, but again most of them were down the field. There were no big plays created or given up by the secondary. Grade: C

Special teams

Nothing of note really happened on special teams, though Jakeem Grant's dancing around resulted in a 3-yard loss on a punt return and put the Dolphins at their own 8-yard line to start a late first-round drive. Matt Haack had a really good day punting and Jason Sanders made his only field goal attempt. The Dolphins also got a turnover on their first punt when gunner Mack Hollins pushed a New England player into the returner to force a muff, but the Patriots were able to recover the loose ball. In the end, special teams played little role in the outcome. Grade: B-