Ezekiel Elliott reflects on Week 1 debut, can he take advantage of the struggling Dolphins run defense?
Can Zeke and Rhamondre Stevenson run all over the Dolphins defense?
New Patriots running back Ezekiel Elliott made his team debut against a familiar foe, the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1.
Elliott played his 13th career game against the Eagles and had a relatively good start to his Patriots career in the game.
Well, outside a costly fumble.
Elliott fumbled, just two plays into his Patriots career, following catching a pass from Mac Jones in the first quarter. Four plays later, the Eagles scored and led 16-0.
It was the first fumble by the former Cowboys’ star running back since Nov. 2021. Elliott had gone 405 touches without putting the pigskin on the ground.
“First thing that I think of is just protecting the football,” Elliott said. “It’s unacceptable. You can’t give the ball back to the defense. You got the ball in your hands — it’s like you’ve got the whole fate of the team in your hands. So you just gotta fix that … That’s not acceptable. Putting the ball on the ground.
“So I mean, just got to get back in the lab and lock in on the fundamentals, and lock in keeping that ball nice and tight and get ready for next week.”
Overall, outside his turnover, Elliott had a good game. He played 28 offensive snaps, had seven rushing attempts for 29 yards, including three rushing first downs. The 28-year-old added five catches for 14 yards.
Elliott’s numbers don’t jump off the stat sheet, but the way New England uses running backs, he did provide a change of pace from a very pass heavy Patriots offense.
Bill Belichick preaches protecting the football and Patriots fans have seen players jettisoned to the bench after fumbling. That wasn’t the case Sunday, 10 of his next 12 touches came after the fumble.
“He’s been taking in a lot of information over these last couple weeks to a month. Proud of him,” Rhamondre Stevenson said to reporters following the game . “He played very hard, ran hard and he’s looking to build off that.”
The Patriots now turn the page and welcome the Dolphins to Foxboro for Sunday Night Football.
Miami’s defense struggled in Week 1 against the Chargers giving up 536 yards of offense. Los Angeles ran for a league-leading, 233 yards and three touchdowns.
Austin Ekeler (16 carries, 117 yards) and Joshua Kelley (16 carries, 91 yards) shredded Miami’s defensive unit.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said his team’s defense woes had more to do with not playing in harmony.
“It’s humanity,” McDaniel said. “If you’re able to worry completely about what you can control, and only that, it’s amazing what individuals can do.”
Stevenson and Elliott combined for just 54 yards on 19 carries on Sunday. With the Dolphins defense leaking like a sieve this early, the Patriots should be able to take advantage.
The Patriots offensive line is extremely banged up, both left tackle Trent Brown and rookie right guard Sidy Sow are dealing with concussions. Losing either one or both players will tax the Patriots offense, likely impacting the running attack.
A strong running attack against a struggling Dolphins defense will allow for the Patriots to use play action and open up their entire scheme.
Elliott will need to bring more than 29 yards on Sunday. Hopefully his first fumble in two years is behind him and New England can run all over the Dolphins. If not, they’ll be staring 0-2 in the face to open the season.
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