The New England Patriots got a much-needed win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 2, but there are some concerns about rookie kicker Andy Borregales after the victory. 

The Patriots' offense got off to a fast start against the Dolphins with two touchdowns on their first two possessions. It was the explosive start the Patriots needed, but it did not yield a 14-0 lead.

Instead it was just 12-0, because Borregales missed the extra-point after both of those scores. He missed to the right on both of them, with his first clanging off the right goalpost. 

Those misses forced the Patriots to go for two later in the game to make up for those points left on the field. For a Patriots team that doesn't have a big margin for error, any missed opportunities could sink them on Sundays.

Sunday's misses were jarring, since Borregales played his home games in college at Hard Rock Stadium with the Miami Hurricanes when he was one of the best kickers in college football. Borregales said they were simply bad kicks on his part, but he made a fix on the sideline and then connected on his later kicks.

"At the end of the day, I have to be better," the 22-year-old said in the locker room after the win. "But onto the next kick. That's the mentality I go in with and I stay with."

The mentality served him well Sunday, as he shrugged off those missed extra points and connected on a 22-yard field goal before halftime. Borregales put it through the uprights on an extra point after Antonio Gibson's 90-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter, and Mike Vrabel showed his confidence in the kid when we sent him out for a 53-yard field goal with less than two minutes to play.

Borregales nailed that long kick right down the middle to extend New England's lead to 33-27 with 1:47 to play. But then he miss fired on the ensuing kickoff and sent the kick short of the landing zone, which set Miami up with good field position on their final possession. At least the New England defense held strong and the Patriots escaped with the win. 

In Week 1, Borregales made his only extra point and also two field goals, but he also missed a 40-yard attempt in the 20-13 loss to the Raiders. He's now 3-for-5 as an NFL kicker. 

"Consistency is the main thing as a kicker. I'll just go back to New England and keep working on it," he said.

Mike Vrabel expresses confidence in Borregales

Initially, Vrabel wasn't going to send Borregales out there late in the fourth quarter. He had Drake Maye and the offense stay on the field for a fourth-and-2 play, before a Morgan Moses false start pushed New England back five yards.

That's when Vrabel called upon Borregales for a 53-yard kick, which the rookie put right through the uprights.

"Got to have a lot of confidence in him and I do have a lot of confidence," Vrabel said of Borregales after the win. "It didn't waver. I was going to go for it on the fourth-and-2 to try and get it there, and then when we got backed up, I immediately just kicked the field goal. 

"I'm happy for Andy," added Vrabel. "That's why he's here. I thought after the first two, he just settled down, and that's what we have to have."

Parker Romo connects for Atlanta Falcons

The Patriots drafted Borregales in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and he beat out Parker Romo for the starting job in training camp. Romo has since found a home in Atlanta, and was promoted from the Falcons practice squad for Sunday night's game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Romo was a perfect 5-for-5 for the Falcons on Sunday to help lead Atlanta to a 22-6 victory.