The New England Patriots had to dig deep to pull out a win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. As the rain fell upon Hard Rock Stadium, any lingering belief that Drake Maye is an ordinary quarterback was washed away as quickly as the Dolphins' halftime lead.
The third-year gunslinger flipped a switch after a forgettable first half of football. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was slow to open up the passing attack, and the team struggled to get into a rhythm behind a makeshift offensive line. They were also missing multiple key players, including A.J. Brown, TreVeyon Henderson, Romeo Doubs and Mack Hollins.
And that doesn't include tight end Hunter Henry, who exited Sunday's game early with a foot injury and never returned.
That left Maye with
DeMario Douglas, Efton Chism III, Kyle Williams, Eli Raridon and Ryan Miller. But once that switch flipped, it didn't matter who was on the field for Maye, who was near perfect in the second half, going 9-of-10 passing for 146 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for a touchdown to bring his total up to three touchdowns in the half.
The Patriots outscored the Dolphins 21-6 in the second half of the game.
With that said, it was far from a pretty performance. The offense was stuck in the mud for the first 30 minutes, and the defense gave up too many big plays to a Dolphins offense that was far less talented. Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis made it interesting late by connecting with wideout Kevin Coleman on a 35-yard touchdown pass after Patriots cornerback Charles Woods slipped in coverage.
New England recovered the onside kick and closed out the game with running back Rhamondre Stevenson's legs.
A win is a win, regardless of how it looks. But the Patriots need to get healthier, and they also need to limit some of the self-inflicted wounds that nearly cost them in Miami. Efton Chism III fumbled the ball away early in the game, and the team had eight penalties.
That isn't going to cut it when they run into better teams, like the Green Bay Packers in Foxborough next week.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Instant analysis of Patriots' surprisingly hard-fought win in Miami
