The New England Patriots got exactly what they needed in Miami: a messy game that turned into a clean finish.
After a rough first half in soaking conditions, New England found its footing with three touchdown drives after halftime and walked out with a 24-19 win over the Dolphins. It was far from polished, but it was enough to give the Patriots their fifth victory of the season and their third against a division opponent.
Drake Maye was slow to settle in, then finished with the kind of line that jumps off the page anyway. He went 16-for-20 for 207 total yards before kneel downs and threw three touchdowns, earning his second career win in Miami. Even with the weather and the early sloppiness, he eventually took control of the game.
The Patriots also had to survive a thin offensive setup. A.J.
Brown and TreVeyon Henderson were inactive, and the group got even smaller when Hunter Henry left in the first half after catching a pass to open a drive. Henry was later ruled questionable to return with a foot injury, came back to the sideline to test it before halftime, and never made it back into the offensive huddle.
He did not return.
Without Henry, New England’s offense had trouble getting anything going early. Receivers struggled to separate, the pocket didn’t hold, and Maye was taken down three times. But the second half told a different story, and the Patriots’ offense suddenly looked like the unit that has kept them in the Super Bowl conversation.
One of the biggest defensive performances came from a name that doesn’t usually dominate the headlines. Cory Durden posted a career-high 1.5 sacks, and both came on the first two drives.
He also added two tackles for loss, helping New England hold Miami to just 63 rushing yards. Ollie Gordon accounted for 58 of those yards, but the Dolphins never found much room between the tackles.
The pressure didn’t stop there. Milton Williams, Elijah Ponder and Gabe Jacas all had their moments as the Patriots sent extra heat repeatedly. New England finished with five sacks, including the first of safety Jaylen Reed’s career.
The Patriots also finally got a turnover to break a frustrating trend. They entered the game with 14 giveaways, second-most in the NFL, and had turned it over in every game this season.
That streak looked like it might continue when Maye hit Efton Chism III on a short pass deep in Patriots territory. Chism tried to create something after the catch, but Dolphins rookie linebacker Jacob Rodriguez punched the ball loose.
Miami took over at the New England 19-yard line and settled for a tying field goal.
Still, the Patriots kept pushing. With the offense stuck early, Walter Rouse’s rough afternoon at left guard became part of the story.
The converted tackle, acquired in August, started for a second straight week after Alijah Vera-Tucker’s hamstring injury and move to injured reserve opened the spot. But after a difficult first half in which he was beaten multiple times, Rouse was replaced by veteran Ben Brown.
Brown had missed the Week 7 loss to the Bears with a knee injury, but he entered this week without an injury designation. Once he took over, the offense started to move.
The turning point came through Kyle Williams. Down 10 in the third quarter, Maye launched a deep ball down the middle and Williams beat rookie safety Michael Taaffe for a 43-yard touchdown. The play was initially ruled incomplete after the ball bounced off Williams’ knee, but Mike Vrabel challenged it and the call was overturned.
On the next drive, the Patriots kept the pressure on. After DeMario Douglas converted a fourth down, New England dialed up the speed option at the right moment. Maye kept it and powered into the end zone for his third rushing touchdown of the season, putting the Patriots ahead 17-13 for their first lead since it was 3-0 in the opening quarter.
The defense then delivered the turnover the Patriots had been waiting for. Willis tried to force a deep throw down the middle, but the ball clipped the front of DaQuan Jones’ helmet and popped into the air. Kevin Byard was there to grab it, giving him his first interception as a Patriot and setting up a DeMario Douglas touchdown that stretched the lead to 11.
Miami added one last score on a long touchdown from Kevin Coleman Jr. with 2:04 left in the fourth quarter after Charles Woods slipped in coverage. The Dolphins then tried an onside kick, but Stevenson came up with it. After a Stevenson first down carry, the Patriots could finally close the door.
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Dolphins O-Line Momentum Suddenly Hinges On A New Concern Up Front
Miamis offensive line has spent much of the season trying to find some stability, and the guard play has been a big reason the Dolphins have been able to lean on the run game. Kadyn Proctor and Jonah Savaiinaea have both logged heavy snap counts, and even with penalties and PFF grades that have dipped below league average at times, their presence has helped keep the interior moving in the right direction. Savaiinaeas return from an ankle injury has been especially important after the line had to absorb some early-season shuffling.
Now the momentum up front faces a fresh test with Proctor unavailable for Week 8 because of a concussion. For a unit that has already had to manage injuries while trying to build chemistry, losing one of its most-used guards adds another layer of uncertainty at exactly the wrong time. Miami has gotten enough from the pair to matter in the rushing attack, but the next stretch will show whether that progress can hold if the lineup has to change again. [Read more 🡒]
Malik Willis Forced A Tough Dolphins Sideline Conversation After Costly Mistake
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Willis did not leave it there, though. Even while calling out the error, he backed Gordon as a teammate and made clear the issue was about cleaning up the details, not creating a divide, which is the sort of exchange that can matter in a tight game and, just as importantly, in a locker room trying to stay connected as the season moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Fans Just Got More Fuel For Laughing At The Jets
Rex Ryan made a familiar kind of noise on ESPN this week, and it landed with extra bite for anyone in South Florida keeping score. The former Jets coach took aim at Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty after the rookie had talked confidently about running against New York, turning a little pregame chatter into a broader indictment of the player and, by extension, the franchise that has spent plenty of time giving Miami fans reasons to grin.
For Dolphins supporters, the timing is part of the fun. New York is already coming off a loss to Miami and still trying to sort out defensive problems, so any fresh embarrassment around the Jets tends to travel fast in this market. Ryans comments added another layer to a rivalry that rarely needs help getting messy, and they offered Dolphins fans one more reminder that the Jets remain an easy target when the conversation turns to toughness, tackling and all the ways things can go sideways. [Read more 🡒]