Dolphins fend off Patriots, who drop to 2-6 on season with loss in Miami
BOSTON -- The New England Patriots put forth a worthwhile comeback effort on Sunday in Miami, but the Dolphins were just too much.
Miami came back from an early 7-0 hole and led for the final 36 minutes of the game en route to a 31-17 win.
The loss drops the Patriots to 2-6 on the season, while the Dolphins improved to 6-2 with the season sweep over the Patriots.
Mac Jones completed 19 of his 29 passes for 161 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Tua Tagovailoa completed 30 of his 45 passes for 324 yards with three touchdowns and a pick. Jaylen Waddle had seven catches for 121 yards and a touchdown, while Tyreek Hill caught eight passes for 112 yards and a touchdown, doing the bulk of Miami's aerial damage.
Receivers DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne both left the game for New England with potentially serious injuries -- Parker with a head injury and Bourne with a knee injury.
The Patriots got the scoring started late in the first quarter, after Kyle Dugger picked off a Tagovailoa pass and returned it to the Miami 30-yard line. Jones connected with Kendrick Bourne on a 24-yard catch-and-run three plays later to put the Patriots up 7-0.
The Dolphins answered quickly, though, with Tagovailoa hitting Tyreek Hill for a 42-yard touchdown on the following possession. Hill beat J.C. Jackson on the play.
Jackson was picked on again on the Dolphins' next drive, as he was flagged for pass interference against Hill in the end zone on a third-and-goal and then gave up a touchdown to Cedrick Wilson two plays later.
The Patriots were driving to tie the game before halftime, but Jones was picked off by Jalen Ramsey, who returned the ball 49 yards across midfield to set up a Dolphins field goal, making the score 17-7 at halftime.
New England cut it to 17-10 after halftime, thanks to Raheem Mostert fumbling a handoff from Tagovailoa on the first play of the third quarter.
Miami stretched the lead out to 24-10 on the next drive though, slicing through the New England defense for a 77-yard touchdown drive. Hill had a 22-yard reception, Jaylen Waddle had a 23-yard reception, and Mostert ran into the end zone from the 1-yard line to complete the scoring drive.
The Patriots lost DeVante Parker (head) and Kendrick Bourne (knee) to injuries on consecutive drives, but the Patriots' defense forced consecutive Miami punts to keep the game at 24-10. Then the offense engineered an 81-yard scoring drive, capped off with a 3-yard pass from Jones to JuJu Smith-Schuster for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal to cut the Miami lead to 24-17.
The Dolphins, though, answered with a touchdown drive of their own, capitalizing on some busted coverage on a third-and-1 with a 31-yard walk-in touchdown for Waddle.
The Patriots turned the ball over on downs on the following drive, allowing Miami to kneel out the clock.
The Patriots return home next week to host the Washington Commanders before heading to Germany to face the Colts in Week 10.
