The New England Patriots peeled away with a 21-11 win over the Miami Dolphins at home.

Cam Newton was the story of the game and the rushing attack is something the NFL will have to prepare for. Between the strong presence on the ground and the Patriots’ lockdown defense — Bill Belichick is set up for a year of success. It’s almost possible that Newton could be a better fit in New England than Tom Brady was last season, simply because of the new dimension he brings.

Here are four takeaways from the Week 1 victory.

As aforementioned, the 31-year-old quarterback looked to be back in his MVP form. Newton had 15 carries for 75 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns, along with 155 yards through the air. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Newton had the most rushing yards for a Patriots quarterback since Steve Grogan in 1977.

Newton took command of the offense throughout the entire game and made changes at the line of scrimmage when necessary. He was also extremely accurate through the air when he did throw — completing 15 of his 19 pass attempts.

The Patriots made the right decision by signing Newton and he’ll test this offensive gameplan again next week against a much more difficult opponent in the Seattle Seahawks.

It was easy to predict the Patriots were going to run the ball a lot this season. They have a stacked backfield, along with a 6-foot-5 quarterback who now has the most rushing touchdowns by a signal-caller in NFL history (59).

New England had a collective 42 carries for 217 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, totaling 5.2 yards per carry. Newton was the leading rusher and Sony Michel trailed him with 10 carries for 37 yards and a touchdown. Rex Burkhead, James White, J.J. Taylor and Julian Edelman accumulated another 17 rushes for 105 yards.

Taylor, the rookie undrafted free agent, had the most yards per carry (7) on four rushes and showed his promise. The Patriots still have second-year running back Damien Harris in the mix, leading to a hard-nose football team.

New England held Miami to 11 points and the Patriots’ secondary can take a lot of the credit. The Patriots’ front seven, especially Chase Winovich, came through with a huge day as well — holding Miami to 87 yards on the ground. But, the secondary collected three interceptions between Stephon Gilmore, J.C. Jackson and newcomer Adrian Phillips.

Ryan Fitzpatrick finished the game with 191 passing yards, three interceptions and a 44.6 quarterback rating. New England will face Russell Wilson and the Seahawks next week and that’ll be a much more realistic test for where the team is.

For now, the Patriots can enjoy the fact they put together this incredible defense after a league-high opt-outs and the loss of numerous key players from last season.

Nick Folk started the game off with a missed 45-yard field goal. The Patriots started their season off for the first time in over two decades without Adam Vinatieri or Stephen Gostkowski in the lineup. Finding a consistent player is a top priority for Belichick and the Patriots.

New England’s 2020 fifth-round kicker Justin Rohrwasser is sitting on the practice squad and could be a viable option, but obviously they trusted Folk more for the season opener. Hopefully for the Patriots, this isn’t a weekly issue like it was last year.