Team Grades: Dolphins Stun Patriots, 20-10, In Bittersweet NFL Season Finale
By Abraham Gutierrez
It was a bittersweet feeling in the Miami Dolphins locker room following a shocking 20-10 victory over the (12-4) New England Patriots, as a season that started with Super Bowl talks ended in huge disappointment for South Florida fans.
“Well, I guess in 2016 we’re undefeated,” said Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross. “This 2015 I’m disappointed in the way this team performed. I really got to thank Dan Campbell for the great job I think he’s done in elevating this team. I’m very pleased with that and I think when you look at it and the players we have, in 2016, hopefully we can stay undefeated.”
The win over the Pats, which caused Bill Belichick & Co. the top spot in the AFC playoffs, improved Miami’s record to 6-10 as the franchise’s heads into a postseason filled with uncertainty.
“That’s all we talked about… ‘What do you want to feel like in the offseason, what do you want it to feel like heading into next year, how do you want to finish this thing?’” said Fins interim coach Dan Campbell during his post-game press conference. “The greatest part of winning is winning, that’s why this league is so great, because you have to earn everything.
“We earned that win today and a team that checks out, there’s no way that you’re going to go out there and beat the New England Patriots. This team came out to play and they made the plays they had to, we overcame penalties and it says a lot, I’m proud of those guys. No, it wasn’t the season we wanted but that’s how you finish.”
Offense: A+
Offensively, this team did everything they had to do in order to pull off this improbable win. They came out and established the run early on, which opened things up for play-action options downfield, and instinctively took chances when they presented themselves.
The end result was Miami registering 20 first downs and 438 yards of total offense, from which 96 were rushing and 342 in the passing game. The Dolphins controlled the clock for 31 minutes and five seconds, converted on 8-of-17 opportunities on third down – which has been a problem area all season – and played a very clean game (no turnovers).
Going up against arguably the greatest quarterback of all time, Ryan Tannehill was sensational. With so much talk regarding his play and his future as the franchise’s signal-caller, the Texas A&M product outdueled Brady by connecting on 66 percent of his passes, going 25-for-38 for 350 yards, a pair of touchdowns and no interceptions to earn a quarterback rating of 112.8.
Miami’s leading rushers were Lamar Miller (19 rushes for 60 yards) and Tannehill (3 rushes for 17 yards), and the job that Damien Williams (3 rushes for 11 yards) did also helped stun the Patriots. Finally, the Fins standouts in the receiving department include DeVante Parker (5 catches for 106 yards, TD), Greg Jennings (4 catches for 74 yards), Jarvis Landry (6 catches for 72), and Jordan Cameron (2 catches for 6 yards, TD).
Defense: A+
Any time a defense is able to limit Tom Brady and the high-flying Patriots offense to 10 points, they’ve certainly done something special. Miami’s “D” contained New England’s attack, surrendering just 12 first downs and 196 yards on the afternoon (70 rushing yards and 126 passing yards).
They also did a good job of keeping Brady off the field, helping the offense win the time of possession battle 28:55 to 31:05. New England had a rough time connecting on third down situations, going 4-for-14 in those crucial spots in the game.
Brady finished the afternoon by connecting on 57 percent of his passes (12-for-21) for 134 yards, no touchdowns or interceptions to speak of, and was sacked twice – and hit several times – for a 76.3 QBR. Derrick Shelby was responsible for one of those sacks, while Ndamukong Suh (4 tackles) and Olivier Vernon (6 tackles) earned a split with a half-sack apiece.
Special Teams: A-
Winning the field-position battle was a key to today’s victory, as everyone on the Dolphins special teams unit did their job to the best of their abilities. With New England’s offense struggling to get going, punter Matt Darr did a great job of pinning them deep into their own territory. The rookie out of Tennessee averaged 49 yards on five punts, including a pair of boots that landed inside the Pats’ 20-yard line.
Dolphins kicker Andrew Franks finished the afternoon by putting up eight points on the board, going 2-for-2 on extra points and 2-for-3 on field goals, which included a long of 38 yards.
Coaching: A+
Following Joe Philbin’s firing in Week 5, Campbell was able to lead this team to a 5-7 record and a 6-10 mark on the season. And while those numbers don’t exactly jump off the screen, this team could have easily packed it up and allowed the Patriots to march into Sun Life Stadium and clinch home-field advantage all the way to the Super Bowl.
Nevertheless, Miami came out with a purpose from the opening whistle and never let up. With nothing to play for but pride, they came together and, at least for one game, showed the potential that had everyone talking about playoffs and Super Bowl. Coach Campbell certainly deserved a tip of the cap for his efforts, and if all things go according to plan, he will be one of the leading candidates to return next season with a clean slate.
Abe Gutierrez's (Twitter: @GutierrezAbe) passion led him to ditch law school journey in order to launch his own publishing company. His expertise make him a valued addition to Examiner.com, AXS.com and the CBS-Sports family. Some of his work can be found on CBS-Miami (Dolphins), CBS-LosAngeles (Chargers), CBS-BayArea (Raiders), CBS-NewYork (NY Jets), CBS-TampaBay (Buccaneers), AXS.com, Examiner.com and other online publications.