Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa Has Seen This Change From Patriots Since Week 1

The New England Patriots opened their 2021 season with a one-point loss to the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium.

Tua Tagovailoa expects to see a different Patriots team in Sunday’s rematch at Hard Rock Stadium.

The Dolphins quarterback said New England is visibly “more confident” than it was when these teams first met back in September.

“We always knew that they were a good team, well-coached,” Tagovailoa told Miami reporters Wednesday, via a team-released transcript. “I think they found their rhythm playing with each other. They have a good front, they have good ‘backers, they are a good overall team in all three phases. It’s going to be a challenge and to me, this isn’t the same team that we saw in early September. They look a lot more confident, so it’s going to be a challenge for us.”

That’s no surprise. In Week 1, the Patriots were integrating a number of new pieces on both sides of the ball, most notably Tagovailoa’s old Alabama understudy, quarterback Mac Jones. Despite their lack of established chemistry, Jones and Co. should have won that game, losing 17-16 after Damien Harris lost a late-game fumble at Miami’s 11-yard line.

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Jones showed great promise in his NFL debut (29 of 39, 281 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions), and the Patriots’ defense hassled Tagovailoa into what should have been a costly fourth-quarter interception. But Harris coughed up the ball on the ensuing drive, and the Dolphins successfully ran out the clock.

After the game, Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson took a shot at the Miami QB, saying Tagovailoa is “just going to throw the ball up” if he “doesn’t have his first read.”

“I think they force the quarterback to get the ball out of their hands quick,” Tagovailoa said when asked about the Patriots’ defense. “They force quick decisions. They don’t give up big plays. They want you to work for your touchdowns. If it’s a checkdown that works for 10 yards, that’s the kind of game they want to play, I think. It’s a take what they give you and when you have your shots, you’ve got to take your shots when they arise.”

The Dolphins followed up that season-opening victory with a streak of seven consecutive losses, then seven consecutive wins. The latter ended with a 34-3 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday that eliminated Miami from postseason contention.

The Patriots clinched a playoff spot last weekend but will look to improve their seeding when they visit South Florida on Sunday. Miami has been a notoriously difficult setting for New England, with Bill Belichick’s club winning just two of its last eight games there.