Points off turnovers prove to be decisive for Pats

Photo from NESN

Lost among the poor play of the Patriots was the points off turnover stat. It didn't jump off the page - 17 total points were scored off turnovers, 10 for the Patriots, 10 for the Dolphins. But the game may have turned on the 10 points scored by the Dolphins.

The Patriots forced 3 turnovers in the first half, and it looked like they were cruising in the first half. The Patriots scored 10 points off of 3 turnovers and led 20-10 at the half in large part because of the turnovers, but that's where the fun ended for Patriots fans. For me, the game was lost when Tom Brady was strip-sacked by Cameron Wake. The Dolphins were able to recover the ball and tie the game at 20 apiece on the ensuing drive. After that, the Patriots never looked like they had an answer. The remaining drives for the Patriots looked like this: 4 straight punts, a fumble (which led to a Dolphins field goal), and a turnover on downs.

The Dolphins put the final nail in the coffin when they scored a field goal off of Brady's 2nd fumble, but the Patriots looked dead before that. For most of the 2nd half, in fact, but as I mentioned above, I believe that the game was lost when Miami scored off Brady's first fumble.

Look at the silver lining, though: The last time the Pats lost their home opener, they hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. Make no mistake, though - the Pats have much to work on if they want to do that again.