What We Saw: Week 2

Recaps of every game on the Week 2 slate!

Brett Ford
What We Saw 5 Hours Ago
Series Navigation
Introduction
Commanders @ Packers
Browns @ Ravens
Jaguars @ Bengals
Giants @ Cowboys
Rams @ Titans
Bears @ Lions
Patriots @ Dolphins
49ers @ Saints
Bills @ Jets
Seahawks @ Steelers
Broncos @ Colts
Panthers @ Cardinals
Eagles @ Chiefs
Falcons @ Vikings

New England Patriots @ Miami Dolphins

Final Score: Patriots 33, Dolphins 27

Writer: Griffey Geiss (@ggeiss_mlb and @ggeiss_PL on Twitter)

 

Wow, what a game! Sloppy at times, electric at others. Plenty of penalties to go around, paired with a good amount of pressure on the QBs (8 total sacks) and not one, but two kicks returned for touchdowns just twelve seconds apart. Drake Maye and Tua Tagovailoa both looked good distributing the ball, Tyreek Hill looked like his dynamic self, Miami’s defensive front shifting generated multiple false starts, but in the end, the Pats (with exactly double the amount of rush yards) took the win.

Fun little nugget per ESPN’s Mike Reiss: this is the first time New England scored 30+ points in forty-seven games (!!), dating back to 2022.

 

Four Up

  • Tyreek Hill: Classic Cheetah, he was absolutely electric, taking over the game himself at one point.
  • Drake Maye: This is what you wanted to see out of Maye in Year 2… no turnovers, excelled in the run game, and was super effective in the passing game.
  • Rhamondre Stevenson: Making me eat my words in Week 1; he was ultra-active in the passing game as the Patriots’ leading receiver.
  • Malik Washington: Usually, I just do three up, but Washington really left me impressed; his box score doesn’t paint the whole picture.

Three Down

  • TreVeyon Henderson: You would’ve thought after an electric Week 1 with a sample size, the Pats would rely on Henderson more. Unfortunately, that was not the case here
  • Andres Borregales: Missed two PATs and, while it didn’t have any fantasy implications, booted a ball short of the landing zone with less than a minute left, which was almost costly.
  • Stefon Diggs: While Diggs hasn’t been bad by any means while recovering from ACL surgery, he hasn’t produced like his true self yet; something to monitor.

 

New England Patriots

 

Quarterback

 

Drake Maye: 19/23, 230 yards, 2 TD | 10 carries, 31 yards, TD

Drake Maye was phenomenal — he looked the part and then some as a franchise QB1. When the pocket broke down, Maye wasn’t afraid to get creative and use his legs to make plays. He did so multiple times, even generating a touchdown on a nifty scramble, outrunning ex-Patriot Matthew Judon. Maye stepped up in the pocket well and was super effective in distributing the football. This is exactly the guy Pats fans are hoping to see.

The only play I was a little iffy on was late in the fourth quarter when he threw the ball for an incompletion rather than letting the clock run and either (a) using his legs to potentially run the ball, even if it might’ve been for a slight loss, or (b) just taking the sack outright. Then again, this wouldn’t have had any major fantasy implications.

Missed Opportunities

  • Offensive holding took away a 13-yard dime to Hunter Henry.
  • Deflected pass at the line intended for Hunter Henry in the end zone (goal line situation).

 

Running Back

 

Rhamondre Stevenson: 11 carries, 54 yards | 5 targets, 5 receptions, 88 yards

Many fans (including myself) figured after a lousy 2024, quiet Week 1, and with a guy like TreVeyon Henderson waiting in the wings, Stevenson would lose snaps this week. Evidently, that was not the case. He looked the part and then some as the RB1, not only averaging ~5 yards per carry, but leading the team in receiving yards by a wide margin.

Stevenson also powered his way into the endzone for a two-point conversion. He led his fellow running backs with 39 snaps, twenty more than his nearest competition, and was tied for first in targets.

 

Antonio Gibson: 5 carries, 27 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 1 yard

Gibson not only provides solid depth as a back that can slot in during passing or rushing situations, but can also make plays on special teams. He racked up a whopping 171 yards returning kicks, including an electric 90-yard touchdown return mere seconds after the Dolphins returned a kick of their own.

 

TreVeyon Henderson: 3 carries, 10 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 30 yards

I started Henderson this week, so I’m bitter, to say the least. His total workload saw a major decrease even after a phenomenal debut in Week 1. It really felt like they’d get him more involved. When he did touch the ball, he looked great. He saw just 19 snaps and ran 11 routes. Patience, I guess.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Austin Hooper: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 38 yards

It was Hooper, not Hunter Henry, that was Maye’s favorite tight end target this week. His best play came on a 22-yard grab in the first quarter, and all of his targets/receptions came before halftime.

 

Stefon Diggs: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 32 yards

A solid effort, but nothing special. Again, I’m going to be patient with Diggs. I didn’t expect him to be back and producing this early, so I guess anything he provides is a bonus. But as he gets acclimated to the new system and QB, I expect much more. Diggs was tied for first on the team in targets, running 18 routes on 31 snaps.

 

Kayshon Boutte: 1 target, 1 reception, 16 yards, TD

The Drake Maye–Kayshon Boutte connection is off the charts. I’m genuinely surprised we didn’t see more of it today. His sole catch came on a beautiful third down dime, where he made a diving catch on the left side of the endzone with less than a minute to go before halftime.

Boutte led his fellow WRs with 43 snaps and led all skill positions with 23 routes run. If available, I’d look into stashing him in your deeper leagues — it feels like he’s a solid breakout candidate.

 

Hunter Henry: 3 targets, 1 reception, 9 yards

Like Boutte above, I’m genuinely shocked we didn’t see more of the Maye-to-Henry connection. As seen above, however, he did have a 13-yard grab that was brought back due to offensive holding and a potential touchdown tipped away by Miami’s D-Line in the first half. Henry led all skill positions with 51 snaps and ran 22 routes, one shy of Boutte’s lead. He’s another solid stash candidate as a low-floor TE contributor.

 

Mack Hollins: 2 targets, 1 reception, 8 yards, TD

Hollins was targeted once in the endzone for an easy touchdown grab, and again late in the game for an incompletion. He was tied for the third-most snaps on offense with 39.

 

DeMario Douglas: 1 target, 1 reception, 8 yards

 

Miami Dolphins

 

Quarterback

 

Tua Tagovailoa: 26/32, 315 yards, 2 TD, INT

Like Maye, Tagovailoa did a good job for the most part distributing the ball and relying on his speedsters — between Hill, Achane, and Waddle — to create space and make guys miss after the catch. His connection with all three of his notable targets was solid, especially considering the amount of constant pressure he faced. Miami’s OLine allowed five sacks and six tackles for loss this afternoon.

On 4th & 9 in the fourth quarter, Tua did throw a costly interception on a poor read that led to a field goal and, eventually, a loss. He had a man wide open, as seen below. He also had another ball picked off, this time in the 1st quarter, though offsetting penalties cancelled the play out. Those two plays left a bad taste in my mouth.

Missed Opportunities

  • De’Von Achane dropped a pass over the middle (though in some traffic) early in the 1st quarter,
  • An illegal motion penalty brought back an 11-yard grab by Malik Washington.
  • Offensive holding later took away a 16-yard catch by Malik Washington.

 

Running Back

 

De’Von Achane: 11 carries, 30 yards | 10 targets, 8 receptions, 92 yards, TD 

Tua gave Achane plenty of opportunities, whether it was on screens or dump-offs, to utilize his legs and make guys miss. He looked very good on these short plays, generating plenty of extra yardage. As always, when he has the ball in his hands and green grass to maneuver around in, he’s dangerous. His catch-and-run touchdown was the most impressive offensive play of the game.

Achane was only off the field for four total snaps, easily leading all skill players, and ran the most routes. A true demon.

 

Malik Washington: 3 carries, 23 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 2 yards

One heck of a game for Malik Washington, and frankly, he should’ve had even more. Washington looked fine as the backup running back, though his impact came both on special teams — returning two kicks for 48 yards and the big one, a punt returned for a 78-yard touchdown — and in the passing game, where the box score doesn’t tell the whole story.

Tua’s poor read on a costly INT in the fourth quarter was intended for Washington. When they did connect (and for good yardage), not one but two penalties took away his gains. It was evident that there’s potentially way more on the way here. A really intriguing development.

He was on the field for 35 snaps, making him the next-most-used weapon behind the “Big 3”, plus ran 24 routes… that’s even more than their starting tight end.

 

Ollie Gordon II: 1 carry, 8 yards

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Tyreek Hill: 7 targets, 6 receptions, 109 yards

Finally, Tua connected with Tyreek Hill for their first 30+ yard play since Week 1 of last season. He looked exceptional, making guys miss in the open field both after catches and during his sole punt return (19 yards). Four of his six catches were for 10+ yards. His 48 snaps led all skill players not named Achane, as did his 35 routes run.

 

Jaylen Waddle: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 68 yards, TD

Waddle caught a beautiful pass from Tua on a nifty corner route, completely beating his defender. He looked the part as a solid WR2/flex option, hauling in a handful of well-placed passes on a variety of routes. Waddle, 47, was only one shy of Hill’s snap count and ran just two fewer routes.

 

Dee Eskridge: 1 target, 1 reception, 8 yards

Eskridge’s main production came on special teams, returning four kicks for 80 yards. An offensive holding penalty took away from one of his returns. He also muffed one, though he recovered. Eskridge’s sole reception came with less than a minute to go, a little last resort dump off before Miami took a sack on the next play and lost the game.

 

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 18 yards

 

Alec Ingold: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 13 yards

Series Navigation
Introduction
Commanders @ Packers
Browns @ Ravens
Jaguars @ Bengals
Giants @ Cowboys
Rams @ Titans
Bears @ Lions
Patriots @ Dolphins
49ers @ Saints
Bills @ Jets
Seahawks @ Steelers
Broncos @ Colts
Panthers @ Cardinals
Eagles @ Chiefs
Falcons @ Vikings