New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady heaped praise on their defensive unit following their 43-0 rout of the Miami Dolphins in Week 2 on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium. "They were spectacular, as always. They've been playing great,” said Brady after the Patriots improved to 2-0 on the season following their second straight impressive win. “Two interceptions returned for touchdowns, that was pretty insane,” said Brady, referring to the pick-sixes by cornerback Stephon Gilmore and veteran linebacker Jamie Collins. Brady said the defense’s outstanding play takes some pressure off the offense.
“We just got to go make good plays and not turn it over. They're doing an incredible job,” Brady stressed.
Belichick, for his part, lauded the defense for not letting the Dolphins score. "Yeah, it's always good. It's always good. If you don't let them score, you can't lose,” he said after the game. Overall, the Patriots defense tallied seven sacks and four interceptions against Dolphins quarterbacks Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh Rosen en route to their first shutout win since 2016. Dating back to Super Bowl LIII, the Patriots’ defensive unit has given up six points. The Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3, in Super Bowl LIII and defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 33-3, in Week 1.
Patriots offense also stepped up against Dolphins
The Patriots’ output was more than enough to cover the point spread after being dubbed as 17-point favorites early in the week. The 42-year-old Brady completed 20 of 28 passes for 255 yards and two scores and ran for another touchdown while veteran wide receiver Antonio Brown caught four passes for 56 yards and a score in his first game for the Patriots.
"Yeah, it was a good start. I was just trying to find an open guy and he was snapping off some routes and did a great job. It was good to find him,” Brady said of his first game with Brown. Sony Michel carried the ball 21 times for 85 yards and a score, Julian Edelman caught four passes for 51 yards and Rex Burkhead had two catches for 47 yards as the Patriots recorded 381 total yards of offense.
Belichick insists on playing 60 minutes of football
Many were surprised that Brady was still in the game with the Patriots up, 37-0. However, Belichick insisted that he was not trying to send a message to his players, saying that the Patriots “were playing 60 minutes." Belichick said that his players responded well to playing 60 minutes of good football, especially on defense. Brady, for his part, said he was not surprised that he was still in the game with the outcome already decided. "Last year it came down to 60 minutes of football and we were talking about 60 minutes of football and that's what it took,” Brady said.
