Mike McDaniel Has Picked Up On This Notable Change In Patriots’ Offense

A fair amount of Patriots fans who watched New England's Week 1 game against the Philadelphia Eagles enjoyed themselves given the much-improved offense led by offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien and quarterback Mac Jones.

Was it perfect? Well, no, definitely not.

Jones accounted for a pick-six after he threw it high to wideout Kendrick Bourne and running back Ezekiel Elliott coughed up a costly fumble to giftwrap the Eagles a second first-quarter touchdown. Those two plays went a long way in Philadelphia's 25-20 victory at Gillette Stadium.

However, it was a step in the right direction.

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel picked up on the offense's improvement, as well.

"You can tell there's some good relationships going on there," McDaniel told reporters Wednesday ahead of a Week 2 matchup in New England, per the team. "Bill O'Brien's always done a really good job and I think they're doing some things; you can tell when there's connectivity between coach and quarterback and there's stuff that he's playing very confident in.

"It's a good litmus test. When the quarterback's playing better, generally everyone is. Because they go hand in hand and he (Jones) can only be successful if his players are in the right spots doing the right thing."

The same Patriots fans who watched Sunday's product likely watched the 2022 dumpster fire. And chances are the majority will agree Jones and his teammates were not put in the right spots by then-offensive coordinator Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. It proved to be a failed experiment.

O'Brien's Week 1 schemes and play-calling, though it's a small sample size, were far better.

"There's definitely some tempo going on. There's some different formations, just different ways to attack," McDaniel said. "Similar to what he's (O'Brien's) done in the past to a degree, but then there's new things.

"We have to defend everything so it will be a good challenge for us."

The Patriots will be in for a challenge, as well.

Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is coming off an AFC Player of the Week honor earned after he threw for 466 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1. Meanwhile, Miami wideout Tyreek Hill, who went off for 215 receiving yards and two scores in the season opener, could give New England headaches opposite receiver Jaylen Waddle.

The Dolphins are 3-point road favorites ahead of Sunday night's contest at Gillette Stadium.