Traveling earlier to Miami to acclimate to the weather did not help the New England Patriots.
Instead, the Dolphins dominated them on both sides of the ball to score a 20-7 win.
It was not even close because Miami already led 20-0 before the Patriots scored on a touchdown pass from Mac Jones to Ty Montgomery.
Speaking of Jones, he finished the season opener with 21 completions for 213 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.
Aside from that challenging day against the Dolphins, the former Alabama standout is having a rough day of not feeling well.
#Patriots QB Mac Jones is not practicing today due to illness.
My understanding is it's not believed to be COVID-related — Jones just had an upset stomach so they decided to give him the day off.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 15, 2022
NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero tweeted, “#Patriots QB Mac Jones is not practicing today due to illness. My understanding is it’s not believed to be COVID-related — Jones just had an upset stomach, so they decided to give him the day off.”
The cause of the upset stomach is not yet known.
But giving him the day off will also help Jones clear his mind before preparing against their Week 2 opponents, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
While reigning Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt will miss that game after being placed on injured reserve, the Steelers still have several playmakers on that unit like Alex Highsmith, Cameron Heyward, Larry Ogunjobi, and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Patriots Must Lessen The Turnovers
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick always preaches attention to detail because it can spell the difference between winning and losing.
Unfortunately, his team lost two fumbles, and Jones threw an interception to Jevon Holland.
Those three turnovers further buried the Patriots in the season opener.
A faultless performance in Week 2 could help New England get over the hump, especially when the Steelers forced five turnovers from the Cincinnati Bengals in their 23-20 overtime win.
NEXT: Video Shows Mac Jones Returning To Patriots Practice