If Tom Brady was upset with the Patriots trading away long-time offensive lineman Logan Mankins, as he reportedly was last week, he must be livid now.
Brady was sacked four times and hurried on countless others as the Patriots collapsed offensively in the final two quarters, squandered a 20-10 halftime lead, and lost to the Dolphins, 33-20.
It was the first season-opening loss for New England since 2003.
For as bad as they were over the first 20 or so minutes of the second half, the Patriots were still in the game and had a chance to pull it out. But down 23-20 with just under 10 minutes remaining in the game, and perhaps shocked at the time he had in the pocket, Brady overthrew a wide-open Julian Edelman deep in Miami territory on a third-and-nine, forcing the Pats to punt.
Ryan Tannehill and Knowshon Moreno then led the Dolphins 85 yards as Moreno ran it in from four yards to give the Dolphins a 30-20 lead . . . and that would do it.
They’d tack on a field goal after -- you guessed it -- Brady was sacked on a fourth-and-10 deep in their own territory
He finished the day 29-for-56 for 249 yards and a touchdown.
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Moreno ran all over the Patriots defensive line, finishing with 134 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, while fellow running back Lamar Miller ran for 59 yards on 11 carries.
The game got off to a rocky start for New England, too, as the Patriots went three-and-out and then had their punt blocked. Four plays later, they were trailing, 7-0.
But Brady would turn to his right hand men -- Edelman, Shane Vereen, and, yes, Rob Gronkowski as the Patriots offense answered with a 13-play, 80-yard drive that ended with Vereen pounding it in from two yards out.
That’s when the Dolphins started to hurt themselves. The first of three turnovers came on the ensuing drive when Mike Wallace coughed up the ball on a big hit from Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins.
The Patriots would score three off the turnover, but they weren’t done. Alfonzo Dennard picked off Ryan Tannehill on a deep ball intended for Mike Wallace. Brady and Co. then marched 94 yards, including a 44-yard strike to Edelman, before Gronkowski caught his first touchdown of the season, a six-yard crossing pattern in the end zone.
Both teams would exchange field goals as the Patriots took a 20-10 halftime lead.
That’s when the game started to take a turn for the worst for the Patriots.
Now up 20-13 after the Dolphins kicked a field goal on their opening possession of the half, Brady was sacked and lost the ball, recovered by the Dolphins at the Patriots’ 34-yard line.
After three rushes by Moreno, Tannehill fired a touchdown to Wallace, who was covered by Darrelle Revis but hung on anyways.
The Patriots had no answer in the second half. They again went three-and-out, and the Dolphins -- now with plenty of momentum -- took back the lead for good on a 22-yard field goal.