By Alex Barth, 985TheSportsHub.com
With the season opener just six days away, Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores has announced Ryan Fitzpatrick will be the team’s starting quarterback for Week 1 against the New England Patriots.
Fitzpatrick spent the summer competing with 2020 fifth-overall pick Tua Tagovailoa for the job. The Alabama product is still recovering from a hip injury last fall – that combined with general development possibly led to Fitzpatrick getting the Week 1 nod.
The start will be Fitzpatrick’s 13th against the Patriots, tied for second-most by any quarterback in the Bill Belichick era behind only Peyton Manning. He’s 3-9 against New England, although he’s coming off arguably his best performance. ‘Fitzmagic’ torched the Patriots in Week 17 last year in Foxborough, throwing for 320 yards as the Dolphins stunned the Patriots out of a first-round playoff bye.
There has been a lot of roster turnover on both sides since that game, but the Patriots will be looking to avoid a repeat and their first consecutive losses to Miami since the 2013-2014 seasons.
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Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at Alexander.Barth@bbgi.com.