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Grading Dolphins’ 24-19 loss to the Patriots
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- Grading Dolphins’ 24-19 loss to the Patriots
MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Dolphins lost their one-win momentum in Sunday's 24-19 loss to the New England Patriots. But it wasn't a crushing loss considering the Dolphins, who defeated the New York Jets 28-25 on Oct. 25 for their first win, reduced the self-inflicted damage that has surfaced in other losses this season.
Miami (1-6) was beaten by a better team on Sunday.
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New England (5-3), the Super Bowl runner-up, outscored the Dolphins, 21-6, in the second half to overcome a 13-3 halftime deficit. Simply put, Miami's pass defense and run defense were outclassed by New England's passing offense and rushing offense in the second half.
Still, the Dolphins can take solace in the fact that they played relatively well when it comes to things such as penalties, third downs, red-zone opportunities, missed assignments and mental errors.
In the end, New England showed its mettle.
Here's the report card:
Run game: C-
This matchup was a clash of the titans, so to speak. The run-first Dolphins entered with the NFL's No. 7 rushing offense (131.5 yards per game) and the Patriots had the league's No. 8 rushing defense (95.3 ypg allowed). The defense won as New England held Miami, which was without rookie left guard Kadyn Proctor due to a concussion, to 74 yards rushing, almost half of its average.
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Running back Ollie Gordon II (69 yards on 19 carries) wasn't effective and neither was quarterback Malik Willis (2 yards on one carry). The Dolphins' 23 rushing attempts were their second-lowest of the season, bested only by their 18 carries against Las Vegas and Minnesota.
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Pass game: C-
Willis (21 of 32, 211 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, 92.1 passer rating) was OK. He wasn't necessarily good or bad in any single area ranging from accuracy to decision-making to leadership. He didn't sink the offense but he didn't uplift it, either. He was sacked five times. That's tough to overcome.
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He completed passes to nine players. Among the top five, none had fewer than 30 yards receiving and none had more than 46. Wide receivers Malik Washington (five receptions, 40 yards, one touchdown), Kevin Coleman (three receptions, 46 yards, one touchdown), Caleb Douglas (four receptions, 43 yards) and Chris Bell (four receptions, 31 yards) and tight end Greg Dulcich (four receptions, 43 yards) were decent but not game-changing. The Dolphins needed a game-changing play or two.
Run defense: C-
Miami allowed New England a season-high 131 yards rushing on 36 carries, the second-most by an opponent (Las Vegas had 37). The Patriots were the fourth opponent to have at least 30 carries against Miami. New England was also the fourth consecutive opponent to rush for more than 100 yards against the Dolphins, who entered with the league's No. 16 run defense (110.2 ypg allowed). Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (82 yards on 19 carries, 4.3 yards per carry) was more of a slow burn, as New England rushed for 75 yards on 23 carries in the second half.
Linebackers Jordyn Brooks (11 tackles) and Jacob Rodriguez (eight tackles) were relatively effective, as was defensive tackle Zach Sieler (six tackles). But no one among the front seven stood out. And they needed someone to stop the bleeding in the second half.
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Pass defense: D
Quarterback Drake Maye (16 of 20, 199 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, 141.5 passer rating) basically won this game in the second half by going 9 of 10 for 146 yards with two touchdowns. A couple of big plays were the Dolphins' undoing: wide receiver Kyle Williams' 43-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter that cut New England's deficit to 13-10 and wide receiver DeMario Douglas' 48-yard touchdown reception early in the fourth quarter that gave New England a 24-13 lead.
Edge rusher Chop Robinson had two sacks to lead a three-sack day for the Dolphins. Rodriguez caused a fumble by wide receiver Efton Chism that Miami turned into a touchdown and a 13-3 lead. But Maye riddled the pass defense in the second half.
Special teams: C
Kicker Zane Gonzalez missed a 43-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter that would have cut the Dolphins' deficit to 24-16. As it was, the 11-play, 45-yard drive came up empty. Patriots All Pro punt returner Marcus Jones (three returns, 11.7 yards per return) was kept under control even though he had a 26-yard return. Dolphins kickoff returner Jaylen Wright (five returns, 28.4 yards per return) was effective once again.
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For the most part, this was a second consecutive solid performance by a group that will likely undergo major personnel shuffling all season.
Coaching: C+
The Dolphins were prepared but the better team won. Yes, New England had wide open receivers in the second half, and, yes, Miami's pass rush disappeared as quickly as it surfaced. But coach Jeff Hafley, offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, defensive coordinator Sean Duggan and special teams coordinator Chris Tabor had their players prepared.
Miami was 7 of 14 on third downs and kept New England to 6 of 14 (42.9%), a reasonable total. The Dolphins were 1 of 2 in the red zone, had six penalties for 50 yards (New England had seven for 46 yards), and tied in the turnover battle, 1-1. The coaches did a nice job during the pratice week and during the game.
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Stock up: Chop Robinson
Robinson, the third-year edge rusher, had two sacks against the Patriots and now has 4.0 on the season, which matches his 15-game total from last season and is only two shy of the career-best 6.0 sacks he had as a rookie in 2024. Robinson gave relentless effort against New England and justified his position as No. 1 in the NFL in pressure rate (23.4%), according to NFL Next Gen Stats, entering the game.
Stock down: Zane Gonzalez
You can't miss a 43-yard fourth-quarter field-goal attempt in your second game with a team, which is what happened to Gonzalez. The kick would have cut Miami's deficit to 24-16, and the miss is made more painful by the fact that the Dolphins scored on their next possession to cut their deficit to 24-19. Gonzalez's 43-yard field goal would have set up Miami for a game-tying two-point conversion attempt after that touchdown.
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