The Dolphins’ running game continued to be non-existent. “Unfortunately that’s part of this game”, Edelman said. We ran it earlier; we took a shot down the field and kind of got the same result. The teams combined for just 10 penalties and only one personal foul, a marked departure from that chaotic night in Cincinnati nine months ago.
Advertisement
Facing the Miami Dolphins, the Patriots were cruising to a 2-0 start to the season behind three touchdown passes from Garoppolo before his right shoulder was driven into the turf on a hit by Kiko Alonso.
The Steelers (2-0) have won 13 of their past 15 home openers.
The first sea change came when Tom Brady began serving his suspension and was banned from the facility, reducing the Patriots quarterback meeting room to just two capable bodies.
Garoppolo’s injury came in a flash.
Abdullah sustained a left foot injury on a 24-yard gain late in the first half. But it also left with yet another quarterback issue to resolve after Jimmy Garoppolo had a Tom Brady-light performance halted by a right shoulder injury. The pass was completed for a first down but Garoppolo, who appeared to have also been limping slightly just before the play, got up slowly.
Garoppolo was carving up the Dolphins defense to the tune of 234 yards and three touchdowns on 18 for 27 passing.
Elsewhere in the AFC North, the luckless Cleveland Browns led 20-0 in the first quarter but a blocked extra point, returned by Tavon Young for a rare defensive two-point conversion, sparked a 25-20 comeback win for the Baltimore Ravens featuring two Mike Wallace touchdowns. He started eight games for the Browns last season, completing 186 of 292 passes for 2,109 yards with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions.
LeGarrette Blount ran for 123 yards and a touchdown and Martellus Bennett added five catches for 114 yards and a TD.
Miami rallied in the second half but couldn’t catch up. Kenny Stills had a 24-yard touchdown catch with 5:45 left in the third, on a play where Miami’s RT Ja’Wuan James jumped way before the snap and should have been called back for a false start.
Lost in the hysteria over the New England Patriots losing Jimmy Garoppolo and turning to their third-string quarterback is the fact that they’re nearly certain to make history on Thursday.
Prescott finished 22 for 30 for 292 yards. When a field goal would have put the game away with a minute to go, Stephen Gostkowski has to make that kick.
On the kickoff after New England went up 21-0 in the opening minutes of the second quarter, Kenyan Drake tried to return it out of the end zone and slipped, setting up a three-and-out from deep in the Dolphins’ territory.
So for two weeks in a row, the “top-five defense” allowed its opponents to get to the doorstep of victory – escaping when the Cardinals botched that 47-yard field goal attempt, and Tannehill threw a pass up from the Pats 29 in a desperation final play.
-The New Orleans Saints, already thin at cornerback, might have lost another member of their secondary in Sunday’s game against the New York Giants. Newton threw two TD passes to Kelvin Benjamin and one to Greg Olsen and Devin Funchess.
Newton’s first pass was tipped and intercepted by Antoine Bethea, leading to a 49ers field goal.
Advertisement
San Francisco quarterback Blaine Gabbert was 17 of 36 for 243 yards and two touchdowns and two fourth-quarter interceptions.
