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One good half of football was all that was necessary for the New England Patriots (5-3) to outlast the Miami Dolphins (1-6) at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday evening.
After trailing 13-3 at the halftime break, New England played out the final 30 minutes of action with a renewed confidence on both sides of the ball — and an offensive explosion from Drake Maye and a depleted supporting cast was enough to swing the game in the Patriots' favor, 24-19.
On today's episode of the Patriots Roundtable Podcast, hosts Eddie Marotta and Tyler Geis review their takeaways from New England's third AFC East divisional win of the 2026 season — highlighting key performances, momentum swings that decided the contest, and the lasting ramifications of the continued injury woes that are plaguing the team.
Maye engineered another signature performance with a shorthanded group surrounding him. Without his top three wide receivers — A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, and Mack Hollins — his top tight end, Hunter Henry — who exited the game in the second quarter with a foot injury and did not return — his usual starting guards, nor TreVeyon Henderson in the lineup, Maye continued his recent excellence. He completed 16-of-20 passing attempts with 204 total yards, three total touchdowns, a passer rating of 141.5, and an EPA/play of +0.42 in the game, including a second half surge that saw him complete 9-of-10 passes with 146 passing yards, three total touchdowns, and a perfect passer rating of 158.3.
Kyle Williams and DeMario Douglas were on the receiving end of Maye's two 40-plus-yard touchdown throws, extending his NFL-best mark of 30-plus yard touchdowns since the start of the 2025 regular season to 14. His two 40-plus-yard touchdowns were the first time since Tom Brady in 2017 that a quarterback hit that mark for the franchise, and his current streak of five games with at least three total touchdowns is the first time since Brady in 2007 that a player has done so for the Patriots.
Aside from two touchdown drives by Miami in the two-minute drill, the New England defense controlled the pace of action against the Dolphins' offense throughout. Malik Willis completed 21-of-32 attempts (65.6%) with 211 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, a passer rating of 92.1, and an EPA/dropback of +0.09 in the game, but outside of those two scoring drives, he completed 10-of-17 passes (58.8%) with 81 yards, one interception, and a passer rating of 46.4. The Patriots also shut down Ollie Gordon II and the run game, holding Miami to 74 total team rushing yards and forcing Miami into a dropback passing game that failed to sustain momentum for a full 60 minutes.
It wasn't New England's most complete performance of the season in Miami Gardens, but their 21-0 run in 11:44 of second half game time was just enough to put away a young opponent still rounding into form. More will be required beginning this weekend, with a home stand against the Green Bay Packers (5-3) on deck.
What were your takeaways from the Patriots' win over the Dolphins on Sunday evening? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and join the conversation on Patriots Roundtable.
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