In Week 1, the New England Patriots hosted the defending NFC Champions in the Philadelphia Eagles and lost by just five points.
Although the Patriots actually dominated the game in some aspects, they were unable to close it out and finish the job. In Week 2, they'll take on a high-flying Miami Dolphins team that saw Tua Tagovailoa put up 466 yards passing in Week 1.
Before kickoff, though, we have a few questions that
1. Will New England improve on third down?
Against the Eagles, the Patriots ended up running more plays than Philadelphia (78 to 61). They out-gained the Eagles, too, by a healthy margin (382 to 251). But, the Patriots could not move the chains on third down, as they went 5-for-15 on the day.
That was a big reason for why the offense struggled to put up more points. Against a Miami defense that allowed the Chargers to convert 60 percent of their third downs in Week 1, the Patriots should have better luck.
2. Is DeVante Parker going to return against his old team?
This past offseason, the Patriots handed out a 3-year, $33 million contract extension to wide receiver DeVante Parker. His chemistry with Mac Jones improved down the stretch last year as he emerged as one of Jones' favorite targets.
This season began with Parker on the sideline due to a knee injury. Will we see him out there against his old team in Week 2? New England could use him, that's for sure.
3. Can the Patriots establish the run vs. Miami?
One of the eye-popping stats from Miami's Week 1 win over the Chargers was the fact that Miami allowed L.A. to rush for 234 yards on the day. One may have thought Justin Herbert would light it up, but instead, the Chargers flipped the script and kept running the football, and running it very well.
The Patriots have a nice one-two punch between Rhamondre Stevenson (who should be healthier this week) and Ezekiel Elliott (trying to forget a Week 1 fumble). But, can these two go out and establish a physical, consistent run game against Miami? They should be able to, if Week 1 was any indication. Maybe the biggest question here is if the Patriots will get better guard play.
4. Will Mac Jones need to throw another 50-plus times?
We didn't see the 54 pass attempts coming in Week 1, but Mac Jones played pretty well, throwing for 316 yards and three touchdowns. With the way Tua started out the year, the chances of Jones having to throw quite a bit in this one are very high.
The Dolphins' offense might be a top-5 or even top-3 unit in football. It is not out of the question to think they'll score 30 points again in Week 2. If that's the case, the Patriots will either need to see Jones throw it a whole lot, once more, or slow the game down by winning on the ground.
5. Will the Patriots generate a pass rush?
In Week 1, the Patriots were able to sack Jalen Hurts three times, and that's not typically an easy task with how sneaky and mobile he is. But, if you look at Miami's game in Week 1, Tua didn't absorb a single sack. That was a welcomed sight for Dolphins fans whose number one worry going into the season was the health of their quarterback.
If New England wants a shot at slowing down this offense, they'll have to get to Tua a few times. They cannot afford to give Tua more time in the pocket, especially because of the weapons at his disposal.
6. Can Tyreek Hill be stopped, or even contained?
Tyreek Hill said after the game versus the Chargers that he feels like nobody can guard him and, well, it's tough to argue with that sentiment. He ended up with 215 yards receiving on 11 catches, and two of those receptions went for scores.
It's safe to say the Patriots' no. 1 priority going into this game is to contain Hill. He might not be able to be completely stopped, but New England's game plan should be to allow nothing behind them from Hill. Trying to keep him in front of them is going to be as tough as it gets, but if they can do that, then they'll have a chance.