The New England Patriots went down to Florida where once again the Miami Dolphins made it a miserable experience.
It somehow got better towards the end thanks to a pair of miracle plays. In the end, it went from a nightmare to a weird, unsettling fever dream. What happened? Here are my biggest takeaways in the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s game. FINAL SCORE: Dolphins 34 – Patriots 15
— The first half of Sunday’s game was the Patriots’ most embarrassing 30-minute stretch of the season. The defense was broken down to the molecular level. The offense was sloppy, with disastrous line play causing the offense to shoot itself in the foot with a shotgun at nearly every available opportunity.
— The Patriots were outscored 31-0 in the first half. Against all odds, they won the second half, 15-3.
— New England was still circling the drain as we went into the fourth quarter. The offense had once again shot itself in the foot as Drake Maye got sacked to force a 4th-and-15.
— Then something miraculous happened. Maye slipped out of the pocket and drifted to the right to buy time. It worked, as he heaved the ball downfield to a wide-open Austin Hooper for a 38-yard touchdown.
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— It was the most impressive play since Maye’s miracle touchdown on the last play of regulation against the Titans that sent the game to overtime.
— In the process, Maye tied an NFL record for the most consecutive touchdowns to a different receiver to start his career. Translation: Each of Maye’s first 10 touchdowns have gone to a different receiver, tying the mark set by Steve Ramsey with the Broncos in 1971.
— That list of 10 receivers includes five wide receivers receivers, two runnings backs, two tight ends and an offensive tackle.
— Then there was miracle No. 2: Jaylen Wright fumbled a handoff that was picked up by Christian Gonzalez, who returned it 63 yards for a scoop-and-score touchdown.
— Meanwhile, the Patriots defense had suddenly managed to slow down Miami. Was that a result of Mike McDaniel taking his foot off the pedal? Maybe. But New England’s defense looked like a whole different unit in the second half.
— The good times came to an end when Maye made an ill-advised pass, trying to loft the ball to Antonio Gipson over the middle. Instead, linebacker Tyrell Dodson made a terrific one-handed interception that closed the door on any real chance of a comeback.
— Miami is New England’s kryptonite. The Patriots are 17-43 when playing in Miami. Even Bill Belichick’s teams were not immune to the South Florida curse. Since the year 2000, New England has gone 9-16.
— Remember 2003? That’s when a 2-11 Dolphins team beat a 12-1 Patriots team that went on to win the Super Bowl, ending NFL record of 21 straight wins
— Remember 2018? That was the Miracle in Miami lateral play that ended with Rob Gronkwoksi’s futile attempt at chasing down Kenyan Drake at the end of a lateral play.
— Penalties are a major issue for this Patriots team. They’re a problem across the board, but especially with the two tackles. Vederian Lowe and Demontrey Jacobs were lightning rods for yellow flags throughout Sunday’s game, single-handedly torpedoing early drives due to penalties.
