The New England Patriots entered their regular season finale against the Miami Dolphins as heavy favorites, and they lived up to the expectation. Despite a somewhat slow start — they were up only 17-10 at the half, the AFC East champions pulled aways in the third quarter to secure a 38-10 victory.
Here is a Patriots-centric view at some of the key moments of the game.
Moment No. 1: Down the throat
The Patriots started with the ball, and they set the tone right away. It took them only three plays to cover 70 yards and score the game’s
first touchdown. Most of that yardage was covered by Rhamondre Stevenson taking the game’s second play 56 yards deep into Miami territory.
On the very next play after Stevenson’s long carry, the Patriots found the end zone. Rookie TreVeyon Henderson broke the plane from 5 yards out, scoring his ninth total touchdown of the season.
Moment No. 2: Complementary football, Part 1
New England’s defense did not get off to the same quick start as the team’s offense, allowing Miami to march straight into the red zone. Once there, however, the unit came up big on fourth down. With Anfernee Jennings flushing Dolphins QB Quinn Ewers from the pocket, the Patriots forced an incompletion on 4th-and-1.
The Patriots’ fourth down stop was only the first shoe to drop in the late first quarter. The offense capitalized on the momentum swing, driving 92 yards in nine plays to score another touchdown and take a 14-0 lead.
While TreVeyon Henderson got the honors of finishing off the first drive, Rhamondre Stevenson got his chance to end the second. He did not let it go to waste: lining up in a wildcat formation, the fifth-year running back found the end zone from 2 yards out behind pull blocker Garrett Bradbury.
Moment No. 3: Punched out
The Patriots’ defense played a bend-but-don’t-break style of defense on Sunday, with one of the crucial moments coming late in the second period. With Miami building some momentum, Christian Gonzalez and Jack Gibbens teamed up to force a fumble that was recovered by teammate Elijah Ponder. The play did not lead to any points, but it was still a big moment in the game.
Moment No. 4: Complementary football, Part 2
Down just seven points at the start of the second half, Miami again drove into Patriots territory and had a chance to tie the game. However, Jaylinn Hawkins had none of it: picking up his fourth interception of the season, he thwarted the Dolphins’ latest scoring opportunity.
Unlike the previous turnover, this one did result in Patriots points. Marching 80 yards in seven plays, Drake Maye and Rhamondre Stevenson teamed up for a 15-yard touchdown.
Moment No. 5: Third time’s another charm
Rhamondre Stevenson had one of the most productive days of his career against Miami, and he capped it off in style. Late in the third quarter, with blocks by Mike Onwenu and Garrett Bradbury opening a hole in the middle, he rumbled through the line and there was no catching him in open space: for a third time, Stevenson found the end zone, this one from 35 yards out.
Moment No. 6: Spreading the wealth
The Patriots started running away with the game in the third quarter, and by the early fourth found themselves in the red area once again. This time, however, the ball went back to rookie TreVeyon Henderson: the second-round draft pick powered through the line from 2 yards out to add to New England’s lead.
Moment No. 7: Game over
With TreVeyon Henderson’s second touchdown putting the Patriots up 38-10, head coach Mike Vrabel decided to give his starters a breather. With the playoffs on the horizon, multiple core players were pulled — including quarterback Drake Maye. The MVP frontrunner finished his second regular season in the NFL going 354-for-492 (72%) for 4,394 yards with 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
