The more things change, the more things indeed do stay the same. The 2021 Week 1 schedule has been unveiled ahead of tonight’s full schedule release and the Miami Dolphins will be facing a familiar foe — it has been reported that the Dolphins will be traveling north to play the Patriots in Week 1. The game is currently scheduled to be one of two AFC contests to kick off in the 4PM window.
Miami Dolphins will open the season at the New England Patriots, four months from today at 4:25 p.m.
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) May 12, 2021
That sense of deja vu you’re feeling? Almost as if you’ve been here before? It is because you have — the Dolphins opened the 2020 season in New England against the Patriots, too. And while Miami would go on to redeem their Week 1 loss to New England last season, a game in which Miami conceded over 200 yards rushing on the ground, the loss stung deeply by the end of the season as Miami finished 10-6, just short of the playoffs — while New England finished the year 7-9.
A big part of the reason New England had so much success against the Dolphins in Week 1 was on account of the factor of surprise. The Patriots’ offensive line was able to gouge the Dolphins’ offensive front as New England unveiled a brand new layer to their offense with the QB run game. And it wasn’t just the zone read and QB power that tripped up the Dolphins — it was the finer details in how New England hit their combination blocks to catch the Dolphins off guard and out of position at times.
That’s the danger Miami must now avoid in the 2021 season opener. Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels are a crafty pair of game planning coaches — Miami flying blind into a new season with all of their new personnel is an unfortunate break for Miami. But the Dolphins will be given the chance to execute on the field and shut things down. And all the team needs to think back to is how Week 1 went last year to find some motivation.