TEAM
TALK
- Post Game Notes, Patriots vs. Dolphins: Patriots tie for best season turnaround; finish the regular season 14-3; Drake Maye sets team record with a 72.0 completion percentage; More!
- Evan Lazar’s Game Observations: 8 takeaways from the Patriots blowout victory. ‘The next box Vrabel wants to check is competing for championships. To do so, the Patriots will need to play complete games for four quarters.’ More.
- Mike Dussault’s Rapid Recap: Patriots cap off 14-3 regular season with 38-10 win over Dolphins.
- Evan Lazar posts a brief summary of what the Patriots will face when they play the Chargers next week.
- Evan Lazar makes the case for Patriots QB Drake Maye to be the NFL’s MVP: A statistical deep-dive.
- Gamebook: Full Dolphins at Patriots stats.
- Post Game Quotes: Patriots and Dolphins.
- Post Game Pressers: Mike Vrabel – Drake Maye – Rhamondre Stevenson, Stefon Diggs, Hunter Henry, Milton Williams, Christian Gonzalez, Jaylinn Hawkins, Will Campbell, K’Lavon Chaisson.
- Highlights: Patriots top plays vs. Dolphins. (5 min. video)
- Postgame Celebration: Inside the locker room after the Patriots win over the Dolphins. (2 min. video)
LOCAL LINKS
- Mark Daniels gives us 10 takeaways after the Pats’ 38-10 win. 1. Patriots run over the Dolphins.
- Alex Barth shares 5 takeaways from the regular season finale win vs.the Dolphins. 1. Defense starts slow, finishes strong.
- Doug Kyed picks through the best and worst to see what we learned from Sunday’s 38-10 blowout win. Worst: First-half defense. Dolphins only scored 10 points in the first half, but it was concerning to see how much ground the Patriots’ defense was giving up. They should get some reinforcements for the playoffs with Spillane, Harold Landry and Khyiris Tonga all currently out of action.
- Andrew Callahan calls the 2025 Patriots a rousing success, no matter how the season ends. “We’re here: the end of a regular-season ride no one — and I mean no one — believed the Patriots could take us.“
- Ethan Hurwitz reports Drake Maye broke two Patriots passing records, surpassing Tom Brady in two statistical categories.
- Karen Guregian spotlights the run game and Rhamondre Stevenson hitting his stride at the right time.
- Arnav Sharma explains why the Patriots’ offense is poised to shine in the playoffs.
- Sara Marshall writes Stefon Diggs has proven he’s exactly the weapon the Patriots needed for Drake Maye, and Mike Vrabel agrees.
- Mark Daniels has the story of how from ACL injury to 1,000 yards, Stefon Diggs completes his incredible comeback with the Patriots.
- Chris Mason highlights Stefon Diggs sharing two mantras the Patriots have embraced, starting with ‘Don’t switch the macaroni and cheese.’
- Chris Mason notes OT Will Campbell says he never wants to play for anyone other than Mike Vrabel.
- Chris Mason emphasizes how DT Milton Williams is pushing through pain to chase another Super Bowl ring.
- Sara Marshall says the Patriots and Chargers both got the matchup they wanted for Wild Card weekend.
NATIONAL NEWS
- Around the NFL (NFL.com) Week 18 takeaways: What we learned from Sunday’s games. Patriots clinch No. 2 seed by dominating the Dolphins; Returning players boost Patriots; Next Gen Stats Insight; More!
- Albert Breer (SI) Week 18 Takeaways: Inside Aaron Rodgers’s wild ride back to the playoffs; Plus, it’s time to praise the Jaguars, sizing up the MVP race and more. /Patriots and Drake Maye commentary included.
- John Breech (CBS Sports) Full Wild Card Weekend schedule for NFC and AFC.
- Multiple Contributors (ESPN) NFL playoff bracket preview: Schedule, Super Bowl odds, stats; More. Patriots included.
- Albert Breer (SI) 2025 NFL playoffs preview, and why each team can win the Super Bowl: Executives and coaches weigh in on X-factors, fatal flaws, under-the-radar players and big unknowns for every team.
- Richie Whitt (SI-Chargers) Chargers open as surprisingly small (3-point) underdogs at Patriots in Wild Card game.
- Bucky Brooks (NFL.com) Scouts Notebook: Ranking the 2025 top five rookie classes. Patriots No. 4.
- Bill Barnwell (ESPN) 2025 NFL season award picks: MVP, top rookies, best coaches. MVP: Drake Maye. /Click for the commentary.
- Rob Miech (Chicago Sun Times) Proposing simple change to remedy NFL’s poorly built, unjust playoff system. The Patriots are the poster boys of that patently unjust structure. /Woof… such bad reasoning.
- Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Falcons fire coach Raheem Morris, GM Terry Fontenot.
VIEW FROM MIAMI
- Adam Stites (Dolphins Wire) 3 instant takeaways from the Dolphins’ 38-10 loss vs. Patriots.
- Kevin Nogle (The Phinsider) Dolphins vs. Patriots final score, reactions: Miami gives up in second half.
- Dave Hyde (Sun-Sentinel) The most damaging season in Dolphins history finishes in an awful fashion.
- Kenny Rosarion, et al (Sun-Sentinel) What should happen . . . what will happen with McDaniel after season finale?
- Adam Stites (Dolphins Wire) Dolphins’ blowout loss cost Bradley Chubb over $5 million.
