Picked-up pieces from fourth-quarter review of the New England Patriots' season-opening loss to the Dolphins:
1. Quarterback Tom Brady's worst throw of the game was probably his third-and-9 airmailed delivery in the direction of Julian Edelman (9:56 remaining). He had been under consistent duress throughout the second half to that point, but on that play, he actually had plenty of time. Just missed it and perhaps it was because of the angle taken by Edelman. That one was on quarterback/receiver combination as the protection was excellent. Brady's overthrow of tight end Rob Gronkowski with 31 seconds remaining was another off-the-mark throw that stood out.
2. Some questions were asked immediately after the game about Chandler Jones' second roughing the passer penalty (9:30 remaining) and if maybe it wasn't a penalty. After getting a second look, it's a clear penalty, as the helmet comes right up under the chin of Tannehill. No contact to the head area is allowed. That's a clear penalty.
3. Tough call on receiver Brandon LaFell for offensive pass interference (10:30 remaining). To me, that's more of a collision where the defensive back actually ran into him. When officials have to determine intent, that's when it gets to a gray area from this viewpoint, and I think that's more of a non-call situation. At the same time, it felt like the Patriots got away with a few penalties earlier in the game (Malcolm Butler on Brian Hartline for defensive pass interference and LaFell on Cortland Finnegan for offensive pass interference) so those calls even out over time.
4. Right guard Jordan Devey's struggles continued. On an incomplete pass up the right side to running back Shane Vereen on a wheel route, quarterback Tom Brady couldn't step into the throw because Devey was plowed backwards by defensive tackle Randy Starks. Then with 1:42 remaining, Starks just put Devey on roller-skates and drove him back. Just looked like two players at different levels at times.
5. Every offensive lineman had trouble at one time or another. Left tackle Nate Solder was beaten by Olivier Vernon's spin move on third-and-8, with Vernon slicing into the pocket on Solder's inside shoulder as left guard Marcus Cannon disengaged on his initial block on Jared Odrick to attempt to help, but Vernon was not to be denied. The Dolphins just owned the line of scrimmage in the second half.
6. Left guard Marcus Cannon, meanwhile, struggled with Jared Odrick (3:25 remaining) as Odrick had an interior pressure that forced an incompletion. Too many lost 1-on-1s up front across the board.
7. Right tackle Sebastian Vollmer was beaten by Wake on Wake's second strip sack of Brady. Wake is one of the NFL's best pass-rushers, with explosive get-off, and he used his hands to knock away Vollmer's and gain the edge. Wake was playing on a higher level.
8. For those curious if Vince Wilfork still has it, his work on a 1-yard Lamar Miller run (8:54 remaining) showed that he does. Lined up at left defensive end in the base 3-4, he easily fought off a weak blocking attempt from right tackle Ja'Wuan James and surged into the backfield to make the tackle. One play Wilfork would probably like to have back, however, was Knowshon Moreno's 4-yard touchdown run (3:36 remaining). Had Wilfork kept his feet as he closed on Moreno off the defensive right side, it's hard to imagine Moreno gaining much positive yardage.
9. The Patriots' lack of depth at off-the-line linebacker spots seemed to catch up with them on the Dolphins' touchdown drive that helped them build a 30-20 lead. After Jamie Collins chased down tight end Dion Sims on an incomplete pass in the end zone, he looked spent. It showed up on Mike Wallace's 17-yard catch-and-run on third-and-6, as Collins had zone responsibilities underneath and just lunged at the speedy receiver before pulling up instead of chasing the play. Collins played 73 of 74 snaps in the game (including penalties).