Days after their first win of the 2025 season, it’s still hard to fathom how the New England Patriots escaped Miami on the right side of a 33-27 final score.
The defense squandered a 12-0 lead in the first half; the rookie kicker missed two extra points, and the special teams unit botched the coverage on a 74-yard punt return. Had it not been for a stellar day from quarterback Drake Maye and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, the Patriots would be staring down an 0-2 start to the Mike Vrabel era.
New England had its share of Week 2 heroes, and most of them — like Antonio Gibson and Marte Mapu — were easy to notice thanks to singular plays. Other performers were more masked thanks to some wild twists and turns in the second half, including one defensive starter in particular who entered that Dolphins game with a ton to prove.
The New England Patriots might not beat the Miami Dolphins in Week 2 without safety Jaylinn Hawkins
No Patriots player flipped the script from Week 1 to Week 2 more than safety Jaylinn Hawkins, who was burned in coverage by quarterback Geno Smith and the Las Vegas Raiders in the home opener.
Hawkins bounced back in a major way in the Dolphins game. Per Pro Football Focus, he played 56 snaps — trailing only defensive back Marcus Jones (57) — and delivered with a near flawless game back deep as New England’s center fielder.
The seventh-year pro shared the team lead with five solo tackles and eight total. Most importantly, he was much better in coverage as the Patriots used a variety of disguised Cover 2 looks in an attempt to confuse Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa and limit the type of big passing plays that killed them in Week 1.
There’s clearly still work to do on that front, but Hawkins was excellent in more of a true free safety role. He was back deep on 95% of his snaps Sunday, and made a monster read on a would-be Tagovailoa interception in the first quarter on a play that was nullified by offsetting penalties.
Overall, PFF charted Hawkins for zero missed tackles, no catches allowed in coverage, and graded him as New England’s best all-around defender (among those who played more than seven snaps). It was a major step in the right direction for a player who helped make guys like Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger expendable this offseason.