Patriots vs. Dolphins: What We Learned from Both Teams on Monday Night Football

With their 38-24 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football, Tom Brady led the New England Patriots to their eighth consecutive Week 1 victory.

Despite the final score, it was a win that took a lot of grit from New England. Miami looked poised to swing the momentum back in their direction at several points in the game, but the Patriots responded every time they were faced with adversity, and came up with the win.

As always, the prognostications of the offseason, training camp and preseason mean nothing when the opening whistle sounds on Week 1 of the season, and in that respect, we learned a lot about where these two teams stand today.

Here are just a few of the observations.

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter   @erikfrenz. 

Patriots Tight Ends Are Still Ri-Gronk-Ulous

The decision to draft two tight ends in the 2010 NFL draft was met with much criticism. Excuse those critics if they fail to step forward now.

Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski put on a show on Monday night, beating up on the Dolphins coverage with a combined 13 catches for 189 yards. Each reeled in a touchdown on the night.

They didn't discriminate, either. Hernandez proved once again why he is such a matchup nightmare, doing some nice work on the Dolphins cornerbacks.

Chad Henne Better Than Expected?

We can't reach this conclustion so early in the season, but Henne looked very efficient on the night. He went 30-of-49 for 416 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He added a rushing TD on a nifty nine-yard draw play. 

His 94.6 passer rating was the fourth-highest of his NFL career. 

The stat line wasn't enough to get the job done, but it kept Miami in the game. That alone is better than what we're used to seeing from the usually erratic Henne.

Haynesworth Makes an Impact

Let's not call it a career resurrection just yet, but Haynesworth certainly looked like his old self Monday night.

He pushed the pocket with consistency, creating pressure on Henne, and forcing the issue on multiple throws. The help wasn't always there on the back end, but the pressure definitely was. 

He was credited with just two tackles on the night, but his influence on Henne's space and timing was much greater than his stat line would indicate.

Dolphins Defense Not as Scary as Assumed

Vontae Davis went on record saying that the Dolphins had the best cornerback duo in the NFL on August 25, 2011. Just 18 days later, Brady torched them for 517 yards.

It's hard to call Davis out for his confidence, but Monday night was clearly not a good start to him backing up the talk.

Davis himself wasn't victimized too frequently, and his night was made a lot tougher by Miami's inability to get any kind of pressure on Brady.

That's where the front seven comes in. There were severe question marks around New England's offensive line leading up to this game, with Nate Solder filling in for Sebastian Vollmer, and Brian Waters starting at right guard after being picked up a week ago. 

Aside from just one sack by Cameron Wake, the Dolphins weren't nearly as fearsome in the front seven as once assumed, and that was true even after center Dan Koppen went down with an injury in the second quarter.

Nate Solder Can Get the Job Done

Early to anoint Solder a hit with the 17th overall pick? Probably, but not too early to laud him for keeping Cameron Wake off of Brady's back for most of the night.

His performance didn't come without a few bumps in the road, including a sack allowed and a holding penalty when he was beat by Wake.

Considering the fact that many people thought he would get eaten up by "The Animal," it was a solid performance for Solder in his first game, first start, and all the firsts that come along with being a rookie in the NFL.

Dolphins Receivers Still Have the Magic

The Dolphins receivers ate up yards all night long against the Patriots secondary, with Davone Bess and Brandon Marshall the leaders on the night with 92 and 139 yards respectively.

Similar to the combo of Randy Moss and Wes Welker, these two continue to create matchup and scheme issues for defenses.

With teams doubling Marshall most of the game, that allows Bess to flow freely from the slot, allowing him to get open much more easily.

Chad Ochocinco Has Some Work to Do

But let's not get overly critical just yet. It bears mentioning that he was held to just one 14-yard catch on Monday night, but tonight's game plan just didn't call for him much, or to even have much of an impact. 

ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss brings up a valid point in his quick hits after the game:

"

Including penalties, Ochocinco was charted on the field for 18 snaps in the game. Given the way the Patriots played—utilizing a two-tight end offense in hurry-up fashion—they obviously wanted receivers that had a deep background in the system. It's hard to execute and that's why Deion Branch and Wes Welker were the top options. 

"

We know Chad loves to get the ball, but no one knows how long he'll observe pacifism in "heaven." Tonight was a key example, though, of putting players on the field that give the team the best chance to win.

Brandon Marshall Needs to Find the End Zone

In 93 career receptions with the Miami Dolphins, Brandon Marshall has reeled in just two touchdown passes.

For a 6'4", 229-pound wide receiver who's supposed to create mismatches in the red zone, that's not a great start to his career with the Teal and Orange Florida fish.

This falls partly on Henne for not finding his big target where and when it matters, and partly on play-calling that doesn't maximize those physical traits (a four-yard curl at the goal line on fourth down? Really?!), but this is a problem that needs to get fixed.