Patriots QB Mac Jones: 3 to Watch vs. Dolphins

As the New England Patriots prepare to host the Miami Dolphins in Week 2, Patriots Country highlights three players on whom Pats fans might want to keep watch.

FOXBORO — The New England Patriots are hoping to avoid an 0-2 start for the first time since 2001, as they prepare to face the Miami Dolphins in Week 2 of the 2023 NFL season. Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. ET on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

Despite a gritty performance into the game's closing seconds, New England dropped its season-opener to the Philadelphia Eagles 25-20 in Foxboro. Conversely, Miami (1-0) parlayed an explosive offensive performance into a 36-34 come-from-behind win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Though many Patriots players are expected to garner some attention during Sunday night’s matchup, here are three players that might raise an eyebrow when the Pats take the field against the Dolphins.

Mac Jones

Jones’s showing against the Eagles was certainly not perfect. However, it was clearly an improvement from his performance last season. On only the seventh play of his first series, Jones’s pass intended for receiver Kendrick Bourne bounced off his target’s fingertips into the waiting hands of Eagles cornerback Darius Slay for the pick-six. Still, Jones recovered nicely from a rough start to finish 35 of 54 for 316 yards, with three touchdowns along with the aforementioned interception. He looked sharp in leading the Patriots on consecutive touchdowns with time winding down in the first half, completing 12 straight passes at one point. Still, he continues to struggle with converting third and fourth downs in crucial situations. 

Though there is still work to be done, Jones displayed more comfort and confidence while running coordinator Bill O’Brien’s offense. Both traits will be needed on Sunday night as he attempts to decipher the defensive schemes of Dolphins' coordinator Vic Fangio. Known for his favoring two-high zone coverages, Fangio also shows a penchant for pre-snap disguising. In an attempt to confuse Jones, Miami's defense is likely to show Jones various looks designed to take him out of his game. The Pats starter must possess expansive field vision, while hitting his targets accurately and on-time to lead New England to its first victory of the season.

Mike Gesicki

Despite diplomatically handling the questions surrounding his former team throughout the week, it might be a safe bet to say that Gesicki has had this game circled on his calendar for quite some time. The 27-year-old is a gifted pass catcher, who has hauled in 62.4 percent of his passes, 18 of which went for touchdowns, during his five-year tenure with Miami. Still, Gesicki was unable to find comfortable footing under coach Mike McDaniel’s scheme with the Dolphins last season. As a result, he logged only 32 catches for 362 yards with five touchdowns. Still, the Penn State product compiled 1,483 receiving yards in 2020 and 2021 (combined) and has 18 touchdowns since 2019. 

Gesicki's skill set, in theory, translates well into O'Brien's offense. Typically, the Pats coordinator has preferred schemes which create space and mismatches for his bigger pass-catchers. Gesicki at 6-6, 247 certainly meets the criteria. In fact, his ability to power his way into contested-catch situations may be particularly useful in the red zone on Sunday night. Accordingly, he should be expected to exceed his three-catch, 36-yard performance last week against the Eagles, if utilized correctly. 

Patriots Secondary

Conventional football wisdom indicates that teams should not expect to stop Dolphins speedy receiver Tyreek Hill ... they should only hope to contain him. Hill is playing at a remarkably high level and might just be the most difficult receiver in the NFL to cover at the moment However, since joining the Dolphins in 2022, Hill has compiled only 149 yards on 12 catches in two games against the Patriots. Though he found some success (94 yards) against the Pats zone defense during their Week 1 last season, New England held Hill to only 55 yards in Week 17. 

While Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and Hill thrived in gaining yards against New England's single-high looks in last year's season-opener, the Pats adjusted to using split-safeties in their second meeting to much greater success. Because Mike McDaniel's scheme relies heavily on zone blocking, stretch runs, play-action passes and naked bootlegs, speed and physicality will be crucial in any attempts to slow the veteran receiver. Ultimately, the key element in marginally disrupting Hill's rhythm has been the presence of veteran cornerback Jonathan Jones, who was expected to draw primary duties again on Sunday night. However, Jones is listed as questionable for this contest, as he deals with an ankle injury. Even if he is able to play on Sunday night, his being less-than 100 percent will make the already difficult task of covering Hill nearly insurmountable. Should he be sidelined, the Pats may look to fleet-footed defensive back Marcus Jones, or potentially rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez in man coverage. In addition to either Jones or Gonzalez, expect to see additional safety help from Jalen Mills, Adrian Phillips or hybrid defensive back Myles Bryant.