Four Ups, Four Downs from Patriots' season-saving win over Dolphins

FOXBORO -- For a long stretch at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, things didn't look too good for the home team.

The visiting Dolphins led 14-7 in the third quarter, and outside of a penalty-aided touchdown drive to start the game, New England's offense hadn't done much to inspire the home crowd to believe a comeback was in the cards.

But a Kyle Dugger pick-six energized the building, and the Patriots rallied to take a 23-14 lead, ultimately winning 23-21.

It wasn't a perfect game by any stretch of the imagination, but it was enough to get the Patriots to 8-8 on the season, keeping their playoff lives viable for another week.

Four Ups

Kyle Dugger

There's one player in the NFL to score three defensive touchdowns this season. His name is Kyle Dugger.

This one was huge, too, as he picked off Teddy Bridgewater late in the third quarter and then skillfully weaved his way through traffic for a 39-yard touchdown return. That play was accentuated by a violent stiff-arm on Bridgewater as the third-year safety crossed the goal line.

The play changed the whole game, giving the Patriots a 16-14 lead. They'd never give that lead back to Miami.

Jakobi Meyers

The other game-changing play was made by the Patriots' most reliable receiver in Jakobi Meyers. In need of a scoring drive to take a two-possession lead, Meyers was the one who got that done.

First, he drew a 22-yard pass interference penalty on Keion Crossen, getting the ball to the Miami 5-yard line. Three plays later, on third-and-goal from the 1, Meyers ran a quick little fade route after seeing linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel lined up against him. Mac Jones floated a ball in his direction, and Meyers went up and got it.

Meyers paid the price for that catch, slamming his shoulder into the turf, which kept him out for the rest of the game. But it proved to be the game-winning score, and the Patriots badly needed it.

Run Defense

With Teddy Bridgewater in the game, the Dolphins surely would have liked to have established a ground game to open up some easier passes through the air. But the Patriots' commitment to stopping the run was evident, and it never relented.

The Dolphins finished the game with just 86 yards on 27 carries. They did tally a rushing touchdown, though that was on a backward pass to Tyreek Hill in the flat. Running backs Jeff Wilson and Raheem Mostert had just 74 yards on 24 carries, an average of 3.1 yards per carry.

Safety Jabrill Peppers was not afraid to get his nose dirty, ending the game with seven total tackles (five solo). Ja'Whaun Bentley led the team with nine total tackles (five solo), and the work of Lawrence Guy, Christian Barmore and Carl Davis made life difficult at the line for Miami all day.

Pass Defense

While there's an asterisk for facing Teddy Bridgewater and then Skylar Thompson, the shorthanded secondary of the Patriots handled its business pretty well against an offense that features two explosive play-makers in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Hill finished the game with four catches for 55 yards, plus the 2-yard "rushing" touchdown. Waddle caught just three passes for 52 yards. The Dolphins' leading receiver was running back Raheem Mostert, who had eight receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown.

With the likes of Tae Hayes getting big playing time, and with Myles Bryant covering Hill, it wasn't an ideal setup for New England. Yet the Patriots picked off two passes and prevented any big plays from breaking for the duration of the afternoon, keeping the game from ever getting out of reach.

BONUS: Tyquan Thornton

The rookie caught his second touchdown of the season and finished with three receptions for 60 yards.

Four Downs

The Offense, For The Most Part

The Patriots ran 10 non-kneeldown offensive drives. The first one went for 81 yards and a touchdown, though it was kept alive by a third-down pass interference penalty and a third-down defensive holding penalty on Miami.

On their next five drives, the Patriots' offense gained a total of 60 yards on 19 plays.

With the chance to more or less put the game away in the fourth quarter, the offense did go 89 yards to stretch the lead to nine points. But in total, the Patriots still gained just 249 yards, going 5-for-13 on third down.

Mac Jones was sacked three times, with one of those sacks taking New England out of field goal range and the other one leading to a turnover on downs late in the fourth quarter. The play call and design on that fourth-and-4 for the turnover on downs was also ... unique.

It was enough to win on this day ... a day which included a defensive score. But it's obviously not overly inspiring to anyone hoping to see something click for Matt Patricia's and Mac Jones' offense late in the year.

Michael Palardy

A short-circuiting offense cannot have an unreliable punter. Nevertheless, Michael Palardy persists.

The punter -- who became the top punter after Jake Bailey went on IR with a back injury in mid-November -- had a rough day vs. the Dolphins.

His first punt -- off a snap from the Miami side of the 50 -- ended up in the end zone for a touchback.

His second punt went just 37 yards to the Miami 24.

His third punt went just 34 yards to the Miami 37.

His fourth punt went just 38 yards to the Miami 49-yard line, and the return brought it 10 yards closer to the New England goal line. Miami scored a touchdown on the short field.

Palardy finally gave one a ride and got his average up on the day, but his 58-yarder in the fourth quarter also bounced into the end zone.

For a team that may be relying on field position more than most, Palardy's work isn't helping. 

NFL Officiating

The call from the officiating crew that Raheem Mostert's forward progress had been stopped prior to fumbling on the opening drive was perhaps the worst call in the history of sports.

That is hyperbole, perhaps, but still. It warrants a deeper look.

Jonathan Jones Injury

The cornerback played well and recorded an interception -- a rather sweet interception, no less.

But he was already playing through a chest injury when absorbed a full-speed Trent Sherfield late in the game.

Jones went down in obvious pain, kicking his legs, and he remained down for quite some time. 

The injury puts the Patriots at risk of being without all three Joneses at cornerback -- Marcus and Jack both missed Sunday's game due to injury -- for the critical Week 18 game in Buffalo.

In The Middle

Mac Jones
We can't talk football without talking quarterbacks, and Mac Jones' play brought about plenty of boos from the home crowd and calls for Bailey Zappe on Twitter.

The reality, though, is that Mac Jones was not that bad -- and he also made two of his best throws of the year.

A 29-yard back-foot drop in the bucket to Hunter Henry was perfectly placed.

And Jones later threaded the needle for a 25-yard gain to Jakobi Meyers.

Jones threw two touchdowns for the second straight week, after having just one other two-touchdown game all year.

There were certainly some lulls in the game, and his 203 yards won't stick out in any way. But in this offense, with the offensive line being what it is, Jones more or less did what could have been reasonably expected from him.