Four Ups, Four Downs from Patriots' two-touchdown loss to Dolphins

BOSTON -- Sunday was not the greatest performance for the New England Patriots. And against a team with as much talent as the Miami Dolphins, that's going to be costly more often than not.

It surely was in this one, as the Dolphins fended off a late comeback attempt from New England to win 31-17. The Patriots dropped to 2-6 on the season, losing any momentum that might have been gained from last week's upset victory over the Bills.

Here are the Four Ups and Four Downs from the game.

FOUR UPS

Kyle Dugger

The safety had a dynamite first half, recording an interception, a sack, and a tackle for a loss. His interception set up the first touchdown of the game, allowing New England to take a 7-0 lead. He finished the game with a team-high eight total tackles, plus another tackle on special teams.

Christian Barmore

Barmore sacked Tua Tagovailoa just before the Dugger pick, setting up a third-and-long for Miami. Barmore has come on strong in recent weeks along the D-line.

Anfernee Jennings

The linebacker jumped on top of a loose ball on the first snap of the second half, allowing the Patriots to gain possession deep in Miami territory after Raheem Mostert fumbled a handoff.

Kendrick Bourne

Bourne hauled in his fourth touchdown of the season, a 24-yard catch-and-run that gave the Patriots a first-quarter lead. On a quiet offensive day, Bourne led the Patriots in receiving yards, despite missing all but one play in the fourth quarter due to a knee injury.

FOUR DOWNS

J.C. Jackson

J.C. Jackson looked a lot like a guy the Chargers were happy to pay to export from their team. He inexplicably took a step toward the line of scrimmage while covering Tyreek Hill, who easily shot past him for a 42-yard touchdown. He committed pass interference in the end zone and then allowed a touchdown two plays later. 

Mac Jones

The Patriots were looking to tie the game before halftime, but Mac Jones threw an ugly interception. Yes, Jalen Ramsey made a nice play on the ball, but Jones took too long in the pocket, stared down his receiver, and threw off his back foot, resulting in a floated pass that became easy for Ramsey to intercept.

Jones also took three sacks and -- despite two touchdowns -- threw for just 161 yards.

Injuries to DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, Ja'Whaun Bentley

Already staring down the barrel of a 2-6 record, Sunday grew somehow even worse for New England due to injuries.

Ja'Whaun Bentley suffered a hamstring injury in the first half and didn't return.

DeVante Parker suffered a concussion on a blatant helmet-to-helmet hit that went uncalled.

And Kendrick Bourne suffered a knee injury that looked like it could be a serious one after getting tackled early in the fourth quarter.

Jack Jones or Jonathan Jones (or defensive miscommunication)

The Patriots made a valiant push at a comeback, driving for a touchdown to cut Miami's lead to seven points after losing both Parker and Bourne. The defense had done its part, too, forcing two straight Miami punts to help facilitate the comeback.

But on a third-and-1 at the Patriots' 31-yard line, the Dolphins scored what will be their easiest touchdown of the entire season.

Cornerback Jack Jones ran toward the boundary to cover Tyreek Hill while staring at Tagovailoa the entire time, which left the entire middle of the field open for Jaylen Waddle.

Jones followed Hill in motion, indicating Hill was his man. But Jonathan Jones tried to signal to Jack Jones to switch, a signal which went unseen. Kyle Dugger also stepped in to commit to stop the run, which contributed to the middle of the field being left open.

The fault may be spread around, but the end result was the back-breaking touchdown.

Bonus Down: Referee Land Clark and his officiating crew

This was not the best-officiated football game in history. They had Bill Belichick ... perturbed all afternoon.