The Miami Dolphins entered Week 8 with a 1-5 record after defeating the New York Jets on the road last week to earn their first victory of the season. Sunday’s game against the visiting Patriots was a much tougher battle — even without wide receiver A.J. Brown and running back TreVeyon Henderson. Of course, the Dolphins weren’t completely healthy either, as they were missing their starting left guard, rookie Kadyn Proctor.
The Dolphins played the Patriots tough in the first half — taking a 13-3 lead
into halftime despite the offensive line’s inability to keep quarterback Malik Willis upright. Miami’s gunslinger was corralled four times through the first two quarters of the game, but connected on a short touchdown pass to Malik Washington with eight seconds left in the second quarter.
The Patriots would find success early on in the second-half, with Drake Maye throwing a deep bomb to Kyle Williams for a 43-yard touchdown to cut the Dolphins’ lead to three points early in the third quarter. A taunting penalty from Ollie Gordon II would put Miami’s offense in a third and long situation on the team’s next drive — a down and distance they would not convert.
Momentum swung in New England’s favor from there — as Miami was outscored in the second half 21-6. Miami’s offense stalled time and time again, while the Patriots moved the ball at will — hitting on multiple backbreaking chunk plays. Ultimately, the test proved to be too much for Jeff Hafley’s squad and the Dolphins fell by a score of 24-19.
Final Score
Patriots – 24, Dolphins – 19
Immediate reactions
Snap Winners and Losers
Winners
Jacob Rodriguez, linebacker – Dolphins’ rookie sensation at linebacker, Jacob Rodriguez, forced the first fumble of his NFL career — peanut punching the football from the grasp of tight end Efton Chism midway through the first quarter. The Dolphins would get three points as a result of Rodriguez’s signature play.
Chop Robinson, EDGE – Miami’s best pass rusher looked the part on Sunday against the Patriots. Chop Robinson sacked Drake Maye two times on the afternoon — consistently wreaking havoc in New England’s backfield. After a slow start to the season, Robinson has turned it on as of late and the Dolphins are reaping the benefits.
Losers
Note: “Losers” is not a judgment on the talent or character of any individual. It is simply a categorization of the play in one game – no disrespect is intended or should be inferred.
Ollie Gordon II, running back – Ollie Gordon needs to get his emotions in check. After being called for a taunting penalty in the second half of Sunday’s game that proved quite consequential, Gordon was seen yelling at his head coach, position coach and quarterback on the sidelines. Jeff Hafley will need to hand down some punishment if he doesn’t want to lose the respect of his locker room.
The refs – A critical fourth-down play looked to go in Miami’s favor late in the third-quarter, only for the refs to change the spot of the ball during the television time-out, giving the Patriots a first down instead of a turnover on downs. On replay, it still didn’t look like the Patriots receiver got the nose of the football over the line to gain… but New England was awarded a new set of downs anyway, allowing them the chance to put another touchdown on the board.
Immediate thoughts
The weather was a factor
Rain in Miami? What a surprise! Prior to the start of Miami’s clash with New England, it rained three inches in soggy South Florida. The deluge would continue throughout the entire game. As a result, the contest was of the slower variety, with clock control a big factor in how the game was played. That worked to Miami’s favor in the first half. The Dolphins possessed the football more than the Patriots did and had multiple long drives that resulted in points.
The second half was another story…
The Patriots came out of halftime firing on all cylinders. Drake Maye had a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown in the third quarter and Miami’s offense couldn’t answer, with multiple ineffective drives giving New England’s offense the opportunity to control the clock through the final two quarters. A missed 43-yard field goal by Zane Gonzalez with 6:41 left in the game certainly didn’t help things — especially considering the Dolphins did score a late touchdown on a Willis throw to rookie receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. — the pass catcher’s second as professional.
It was a hard-fought game, but it was not enough
The Patriots were the AFC’s representative in the Super Bowl last season. Despite Miami’s roster limitations due to the massive amount of dead cap the organization is dealing with this season, the Dolphins kept it close against New England for a majority of the contest. Unfortunately, close doesn’t cut it in the National Football League and the warm and fuzzy feelings Miami gave their fanbase with last week’s victory have evaporated quicker than the rain puddles will in the hot Florida sun.
