New England Patriots running back Damien Harris fumbled at his opponents nine yard line with 3:35 left in regulation on Sunday afternoon, giving the Miami Dolphins a 17-16 win at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts in the season opener.
The game featured the debut of New England rookie quarterback Mac Jones, who won the starting job in the preseason. Jones played well in his first action completing 29-39 for 281 yards and one touchdown, which was a seven yarder to Nelson Agholor in the second quarter that had given the Patriots a 10-7 lead. The game was tied 10-10 at the half. Miami took their second lead and the lead for good when Tua Tagovailoa hit Jaylen Waddle for a three yard touchdown on the first drive of the second half. New England had several great opportunities in the game, including two drives inside the Miami 20 yard line where they settled for field goals. The final opportunity and fumble by Harris was a strip by Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard, who also recovered the loose ball. Miami then forced the hosts to use their final timeouts and got two first downs to end the game.
Harris did have his fourth career 100 yard rushing game in the loss, going for exactly 100 on 23 carries. Agholor caught five passes for 72 yards, while James White and Jakobi Meyes both had six receptions for 49 and 44 yards respectively. Kyle Dugger had five total tackles, one for loss to lead the defense. New England fumbled four times, losing two and committed eight penalties for 84 yards. Tagovailoa went 16-27 passing in the win for 202 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Myles Gaskin rushed nine times for 49 yards, and Devonte Parker and Waddle both caught four passes for 81 and 61 yards. Jerome Baker had eight total tackles. The Patriots go on the road next Sunday to face another AFC East rival in the New York Jets at 1 p.m.
