New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick broke down his favorite plays from the Patriots 31-24 victory over the Miami Dolphins. Click here to watch.
Play 1: Jimmy Garoppolo’s 20-yard touchdown pass to TE Matellus Bennett in the first quarter
Bennett beats LB Kiko Alonso to the inside of the seam as Garoppolo freezes the free safety with his eyes. Belichick also credits the offensive line for their teamwork.
“Shaq on Suh, Cannon on Wake, and then David Andrews coming here as the center to kind of clean this up so a 3 on 2,” Belichick said. “That puts a lot of pressure back here on the left side on Thuney and Solder, but they did a great job.”
Play 2: Jimmy Garoppolo’s 10-yard touchdown pass to WR Danny Amendola in the second quarter
We’ve actually broken down this play here and, naturally, Belichick focuses on the one aspect that I didn’t bother to write about: the offensive line and Garoppolo’s pocket presence.
“The Dolphins come up and give us a blitz look so we can’t block them all, they’re bringing seven and we only have six blockers, so there’s a free guy here off the left side,” Belichick highlights. “So what Jimmy does when he catches the snap is drifts away from the free rusher to buy himself a little bit more time.”
Play 3: RB LeGarrette Blount’s hurdle early in the 4th quarter
Belichick credits Bennett and LT Nate Solder for their blocks to pave the way for Blount. Belichick doesn’t seem to be the biggest fan of Dolphins CB Byron Maxwell, but he has some kind words for DT Ndamkong Suh for making the tackle down the field. Belichick also has some good praise for Blount.
“I love this by Blount,” Belichick says. “Where he just comes in here and seeks out Jones, and Jones tries to block tackle him, and he just pushes through for another 3 or 4 yards here.”
Play 4: Amendola’s big punt return in the 2nd quarter
Belichick highlights the three players that the Dolphins usually have down the field in punt coverage, and how Matthew Slater took one of them out of the play early on.
Play 5: CB Logan Ryan forces fumble in 2nd quarter, DE Chris Long recovers
Ryan forces a fumble on WR Jarvis Landry and Long runs almost 25 yards from the line of scrimmage to recover the fumble.
Play 6: S Duron Harmon ices the game with an interception
Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill tries to throw the ball into the end zone, but Harmon is watching the entire play develop and comes over the top to make the play.