The New England Patriots had a nightmarish season opener. But, early reports seem to indicate things aren't as bad as they initially looked.
Not only did New England drop its Week 1 matchup with the Miami Dolphins, 20-7, but it dealt with a few injury scares. Mac Jones and Adrian Phillips both suffered injuries in the loss. Jones played the entire game, but was seen entering the X-Ray room at Hard Rock Stadium before making his way back to the Patriots locker room. Phillips wasn't so lucky, dropping out of the game in the second quarter with an injury to his ribs.
In the end, the Patriots seem to have escaped without any major injuries. Jones reportedly felt much better upon his return to Foxboro and only has back spasms. In regard to Phillips, NFL reporter Jordan Schultz tweeted Monday the Patriots are "cautiously optimistic" he'll be OK.
The report seems to back up the prevailing sentiment that Phillips' injury was relatively minor. Fellow safety Kyle Dugger told reporters following the game he believed Phillips would be fine.
Though he left early, Phillips made his presence early on with three tackles and an impressive tackle for loss to stymie a lengthy Miami drive. Dugger stepped up to play a box-linebacker role after Phillips' absence and played well -- finishing with six tackles and two tackles for loss. However, the switch up in the back end led to an increased role for Myles Bryant. He didn't fare as well as Dugger, struggling mightily in coverage.
If Phillips does miss any time, perhaps the Patriots could call on to rookies Jack Jones or Marcus Jones, who each saw limited snaps in the season opener, to help fill in on the back end.
