New England Patriots: Five Takeaways From Pathetic 33-20 Loss To Miami

Sep 7, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver

(11) runs against New England Patriots cornerback

(37) in the second half at Sun Life Stadium. Miami won 33-20. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

3. Good secondary flies under the radar

With all of our focus on the horrid play of the front seven and the offense, I think the quality play of the defensive backfield has flown under the radar a bit. Without Brandon Browner, the Patriots held Miami to 169 total passing yards, just over five yards an attempt, and Tannehill’s pass rating was a measly 79.9.

Darrelle Revis was great as expected, although he did get toasted by Mike Wallace on a double-move in the first half, Alfonzo Dennard was solid as well, and Malcolm Butler, Kyle Arrington, and Logan Ryan all had quality outings to boot. I think this was a good start for this group, and they will continue to get better as the season moves on, and the Patriots begin to play better passing offenses.

Devin McCourty was great once again as the free safety, but what was most surprising to me, was how the safety position was handled. It seemed like Patrick Chung received most of the snaps, and not only that, they were good snaps. Chung wasn’t beat at all in the passing game, and his physical presence was felt as usual in the run game. Tavon Wilson also saw some time on defense, coming down to defend in the slot on multiple occasions.