FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — This could have been a matchup of exciting young quarterbacks, with Tua Tagovailoa and Drake Maye taking the field for the Dolphins and Patriots.
Instead, we get Tyler Huntley and Jacoby Brissett.
The two, once-proud franchises and longtime AFC East rivals stumble into Week 5 with their best quarterbacks on the sidelines: Tagovailoa on injured reserve recovering from a concussion, and Maye — the No. 3 overall draft pick — still waiting for it to be safe to stand behind the Patriots’ offensive line.
“We’ve got to continue to play ball no matter what, no matter who is at quarterback,” said Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill, who has caught passes from four different ones for Miami this season.
“(Huntley) has a chance to understand the system, understand how guys play now,” Hill said. “It all ties in together, man. Once he had his chance to figure all that out, it’s going to be smooth back there.”
Although not much was expected from the Patriots (1-3) this year as they begin their rebuild following the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick dynasty, Miami (1-3) was coming off an 11-win season and back-to-back playoff appearances.
But the Dolphins’ chances crumbled when Tagovailoa was hurt in Week 2 and was replaced first by Skylar Thompson, then by Tim Boyle and now by Huntley, who threw for 98 yards in Monday’s 31-12 loss to Tennessee – Miami’s third loss in a row.
Coach Mike McDaniel expressed confidence in Huntley, who started nine games over four seasons with the Ravens before he was signed off the Baltimore practice squad when Tagovailoa was concussed in Week 2.
“I would hate to think that the best execution of the offense in its entirety would be your first week running the offense,” the coach said. “He’s a professional, and there was a lot of things that were very impressive when you put into context the timeline, the language and how he’s able to do things that our guys are used to, and then there’s a lot of room for growth, as well as getting to learn him.”
Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said he also is sticking with Brissett, who has averaged fewer than 135 passing yards per game. Maye came on in mop-up duty in Week 3 and completed 4 of 8 passes for 22 yards.
“Jacoby’s our starter,” Mayo said. “He’s our starting quarterback this week.”
‘Ball security is job security’
Mayo said he will consider a change at running back — if only to reinforce the message that Rhamondre Stevenson’s four fumbles in four games is unacceptable.
“Look, we can’t preach that ball security is job security and still have him out there the majority of the time,” Mayo said. “So, I think it sends a stronger message to the players that there are certain things that we just can’t do to win, especially with the team that we have today.”
Stevenson was a dependable back for the Patriots in his first three years, rushing for more than 1,000 yards in 2022 and earning an extension this offseason worth $36 million over four years. He ran for 201 yards and two touchdowns in the first two games and, with New England’s passing offense struggling, looked to take on an even bigger role.
But he has fumbled in every game this season. (The Patriots recovered two of them.) Mayo said moving Antonio Gibson, who ran for 96 yards on 11 carries in Week 2, into the starting lineup is “definitely under consideration.”
McDaniel also said he will hold players accountable, especially as penalties and dropped passes plague the offense. Miami had 10 penalties for 98 yards against the Titans last week.
“Most teams, guys, they want to be a part of the solution and not the problem,” McDaniel said. “That’s not good football. You can’t go backwards before a play starts. You can’t turn the ball over.”
Next man up
With starting pass rusher Jaelan Phillips lost for the season with a partially torn ACL, the Dolphins will need a boost from other players.
The Dolphins have veterans Emmanuel Ogbah and Quinton Bell, and they’ll have to rely on rookies Chop Robinson and Mo Kamara as well with Bradley Chubb still working back from a torn ACL suffered in Week 17 last season.
“They get to collectively put forth a lot of work that they’re absolutely positively prepared for,” McDaniel said. “There was a tremendous amount of gained reps to learn from and grow through in training camp, and the key thing is that you’re not trying to be Jaelan Phillips.”
The Patriots said center David Andrews, an offensive captain and one of the longest-tenured players on the roster, would have season-ending shoulder surgery.
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