Patriots-Dolphins Week 17 Live Blog: Pats Fall 20-10 In Miami, Finish Season 12-4
Final: Dolphins 20, Patriots 10
Thankfully, that one is over. But you can't be feeling all that great about the Patriots right now.
They finished the season 12-4, and now we're all Chargers fans for the next few hours. If San Diego knocks off the Broncos, the Patriots can still clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
The Patriots offense had just 20 yards in the fourth quarter. That's terrible. Tom Brady had just five pass attempts in the first half (a career low) and finished the game 12/21 for 134 yards. He was sacked twice and hit four other times, and had an injury scare in the first half.
It was clear the Patriots wanted to run the ball and get out of Miami healthy. Steven Jackson finished the game with 35 yards on 14 carries and New England's only score in the second half. James White set that touchdown up with a 68-yard catch and run on a short pass from Brady, but other than that there was no offense for the Patriots today.
We'll have much more on this one and look ahead to the playoffs, so stick with CBSBoston.com throughout the evening.
4th Quarter, 1:19: A quick four-and-out for the Garoppolo and the Patriots, as he couldn't connect with Brandon LaFell on 4th-and-4.
Miami just has to take a few kneel downs to close out their abysmal season with a win over the Patriots.
4th Quarter, 1:56: Jimmy Garoppolo will finish this one off for Tom Brady.
4th Quarter, 1:56 -- Dolphins 20, Patriots 10: Franks put a 19-yard chip shot through the uprights to give the Dolphins a 20-10 lead.
4th Quarter, 2:05: The Patriots brought Lamar Miller down at the 1-yard line on 2nd-and-goal, and used their third and final timeout.
4th Quarter, 2:13: There's a ton of confusion on the field as Bill Belichick called a timeout before a Miami run.
At this point, let's just get this bad boy over with.
4th Quarter, 2:26: If the Patriots want the No. 1 seed, they're going to have to hope for a Chargers win over the Broncos later tonight.
With Miami facing a 3rd-and-13, Ryan Tannehill found some space and took off for a 19-yard pickup to all but put the nail in the coffin.
Bill Belichick didn't look pleased when he called the team's first timeout. There really isn't anything positive to take out of this one.
4th Quarter, 4:51: A false start by Joe Cardona is going to make this a very snug punt for Ryan Allen, who is backed up in the end zone as he awaits to kick.
4th Quarter, 5:20: And down goes Brady again. Miami sent the kitchen sink at the QB, as he gets sacked by a trio of Dolphins for a 9-yard loss.
It's the Patriots third 3-and-out of the half, and fifth straight punt.
4th Quarter, 6:05: The pressure continues on Brady as he gets strip sacked by Shelby but recovers the fumble.
These are hits he just doesn't need to be taking at this point.
4th Quarter, 6:58 -- Dolphins 17, Patriots 10: A few plays after Parker's nice catch, Tannehill went to tight end Jordan Cameron from two yards out to put Miami back on top in this one, 17-10.
Miami needed just six plays to go 82 yards and find the end zone. New England is going to need another fourth quarter comeback if they want that No. 1 seed.
4th Quarter, 7:45: Parker just made a beautiful juggling catch for 46 yards over Logan Ryan, setting Miami up at the New England 6-yard line.
It looked like Ryan was going to come down with the interception, but Parker stuck with it and came away with the ball as it spun around in the air.
Chung is back in after missing a play.
4th Quarter, 8:16: Patrick Chung looks to be banged up now after colliding with Malcolm Butler on a 18-yard catch and run by Jarvis Landry.
4th Quarter, 9:59: Make if four straight punts for the Patriots. Brady couldn't connect with Gronk on first down, Bolden was stuffed by Vernon on a second down run, and Gronk could only get six yards on a short pass from Brady on third down.
The Dolphins now take over at their own 18 after a 51-yard boot by Allen.
One stat to pass along from the Patriots: Tom Brady has set a new career high for completions, passing his previous best of 401 (set in 2011 & 2012)
4th Quarter, 11:40: Rob Gronkowski will not go catchless in this one, as he hauled in a 12-yard pass from Brady on 3rd-and-1 to move the chains.
4th Quarter, 12:57: Jabaal Sheard applied some heavy pressure on Tannehill on third down, forcing the QB to throw a low pass to Miller.
That set up a Miami punt, but Brandon Bolden was flagged for running into the kicker. It erased a nice return by Amendola, who had to fair catch at the New England 8 on Miami's second punt. The Pats were backed up even more as Dekoda Watson was flagged for holding, pushing them back to the 4-yard line.
The Bolden penalty ends up costing New England about 32 yards of field position.
End 3rd Quarter -- Dolphins 10, Patriots 10
Thankfully, we're entering the final frame of this one -- unless there's overtime, which seems to be a real possibility.
The Pats have just 176 total yards to Miami's 307. They still look pretty uninterested in this one, but still have a shot at claiming the AFC's No. 1 seed with 12 good minutes of football.
3rd Quarter, 00:57: Brady and Amendola could only connect for eight yards on 3rd-and-13, forcing another Ryan Allen punt.
The Dolphins will start at their own 16 after a 41-yard punt by Allen.
3rd Quarter, 1:25: This drive is about par for the course for the New England offense today. Brady was hit by Shelby on a second down incompletion to Gronk, and then Amendola was flagged for a false start on third down.
3rd Quarter, 2:04: Miller was stuffed by a slew of Patriots -- Butler, Ninkovich, Sheard to name a few -- and the Dolphins turn it over on downs. The Patriots take over at their own 39-yard line.
3rd Quarter, 2:24: Ed Hochuli says it's a catch -- so 4th-and-1 for the Phins coming up.
3rd Quarter, 2:24: We have our first challenge of the game, as the Dolphins want the refs to take another look at what they ruled was an incomplete pass to Jennings.
It looks like Jennings caught Tannehill's pass before the ball came out as he reached for a first down. The ruling on the field is incomplete, but it looks like a good catch. That would set up a 4th-and-1 for Miami.
3rd Quarter, 5:29: Now a penalty of their own is hurting the Patriots on this drive.
Brady scrambled and connected deep with Martin on 3rd-and-2, but the receiver was flagged for offensive pass interference to wipe out the play.
On 3rd-and-12, Brady not only couldn't connect with Brandon LaFell down field but took another hard hit from Vernon. Enough is enough on that front.
Miami will take over at their own 22-yard line after an 11-yard punt return by Landry.
3rd Quarter, 7:07: The Patriots get another chance thanks to a dumb penalty by Olivier Vernon, who delivered a late shot to Brady's back after the QB sent a deep pass down field.
Brady couldn't connect with Martin on the play, but the penalty moved the chains and gave New England a fresh set of downs. Hopefully Brady won't take any more shots like that the rest of the way.
3rd Quarter, 7:53: Miami can't do much after that big third down conversion, and were forced to punt it away (after trying to draw the Pats offside on 4th-and-9).
The Pats will take over at their own 20-yard line when play resumes.
3rd Quarter, 8:59: Another big third down conversion for the Dolphins, as Tannehill connects with Parker for 29 yards on a 3rd-and-8. That sets Miami up at the New England 41.
3rd Quarter, 10:54: Rob Gronkowski finally has a target, but Brady's third down pass fell harmlessly to the ground after Damontre Moore got a hand on it at the line of scrimmage.
So just as quickly as they get the ball, the Patriots give it back to the Dolphins. Brady threw incompletions to Amendola and Martin on first and second down, respectively.
The Patriots are 3-for-8 on third down today, which is an improvement from their 1-for-10 against the Jets last week.
3rd Quarter, 11:22: The Patriots D forces a quick three-and-out, with Jamie Collins nearly picking Tannehill on third down.
3rd Quarter, 12:32: A few plays after White's big play, Steven Jackson bullies his way into the end zone for New England's first touchdown of the game. He got a nice block from Gronk, who is making a difference without catching any passes.
It only took Brady and Company (mostly James White) five plays and 2:28 to march 80 yard down the field.
3rd Quarter, 13:46: Nothing like a 68-yard catch and run to get you back into a football game.
Brady hit James White over the middle and the back took care of the rest, racing down to the Miami 6-yard line.
Halftime -- Dolphins 10, Patriots 3
Tom Brady threw just five passes in the first half, the fewest of his career. None of those passes went Rob Gronkowski's way.
It's been all about the running game for the New England offense, with 63 rushing yards on 20 attempts. Brandon Bolden leads the way with 31 of those yards on eight carries, while Steven Jackson has 28 yards on 10 carries.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins are out-gaining the Pats 193-82. Miami is also 5-for-9 on third down, so the Patriots D will have to clean that up in the second half.
This one has been anything but pretty, so go soak in your halftime.
2nd Quarter, 00:36 -- Dolphins 10, Patriots 3:
A few plays after his deep connection with Jennings, Tannehill found rookie Devante Parker from 15 yards out for six points. No one on the New England D jammed Parker, who caught the score in front of Devin McCourty.
Miami takes advantage of their drive after Gostkowski's miss, going 64 yards down the field in eight plays.
2nd Quarter, 00:46: Miami will have a chance to take a lead just before halftime thanks to a 31-yard hookup between Tannehill and Jennings.
The veteran receiver had a step on Leonard Johnson, and stepped out at the New England 15.
2nd Quarter, 1:56: Gostkowski had made 21 straight kicks on the road, but went wide right on a 46-yard attempt that would have given New England their first lead of the game.
Not much is going right for the New England offense today. Tom Brady has only thrown five passes, competing four of them for 20 yards. New England has 63 rushing yards on 20 attempts.
It doesn't look like either team really wants to be playing this game -- let alone win it.
2nd Quarter, 2:00: The Patriots will be looking at a 45-yard field goal after we get back from the 2-minute warning.
The conservative approach continues for New England, as James White was just drilled on back-to-back plays -- a short pass on 2nd-and-9 and a run on 3rd-and-15.
Brady has yet to look Rob Gronkowski's way today. Odd.
2nd Quarter, 5:55: While we were all keeping an eye on Brady on the sidelines, the Patriots D forced a Miami three-and-out.
Patrick Chung stonewalled Landry on a 3rd-and-5 catch, keeping him from picking up enough for the first down.
Brady is heading back out on the field as the Patriots will start their drive at the Miami 35-yard line.
2nd Quarter, 6:20: Brady is all taped up and throwing on the sideline again. Phew.
How about some Jimmy G action the rest of this one? All he would do is hand it off anyways.
2nd Quarter, 8:06 -- Patriots 3, Dolphins 3: This is exactly what you don't want to see in the final game of the regular season.
Brady was just rolled up by Suh, after he got facemasked by Marcus Cannon. Brady limped off the field and was getting looked at by the trainers, as everyone in New England holds their breath. It appears he's getting his ankle re-taped, so it doesn't look like it's anything serious. Still, it's not something you want to see in Week 17.
Stephen Gostkowski nailed a 34-yard field goal to tie it, but no one really cares about the score at the moment.
2nd Quarter, 13:10: Hello, Steven Jackson.
After a hold on Josh Kline erased a first down run by the veteran back, he took a short pass from Brady and scampered 20 yards to move the chains.
2nd Quarter, 14:07: The Dolphins get nothing from their drive, as Franks missed wide right from 46 yards out.
One play prior to the miss, Tannehill went deep for Stills in the end zone but Leonard Johnson made a nice play to break up the bid.
Also on the drive, Geneo Grissom recorded his first career sack. The Pats now have 49 sacks on the season.
End 1st Quarter -- Dolphins 3, Patriots 0
Miami has the ball at the New England 25 as we hit the end of the first quarter. The Dolphins are marching, picking up a big third down conversion with a 10-yard pass from Tannehill to Stills. So far they are 3-for-5 on third down today.
1st Quarter, 4:41: The Patriots really want to get their run game going today.
After Jackson picked up the first down with his trio of runs, Brandon Bolden got three carries. He lost a yard on first down, picked up three yards on second down and then got a nice block from Rob Gronkowski on third down, but could only get six yards off the play.
That set up another Ryan Allen punt, a 61 yarder that went out the back of the end zone.
The Pats have 21 rushing yards on eight runs so far, with Brady's lone pass a shovel pass to Bolden for six yards.
1st Quarter, 7:08: The Patriots have their first first down of the afternoon thanks to three straight runs by Steven Jackson (6 yards, 2 yards, 3 yards).
1st Quarter, 8:07 -- Dolphins 3, Patriots 0: The Dolphins have themselves an early 3-0 lead thanks to some big plays. Lamar Miller broke off a 29-yard run on the first play of the drive, and after Malcolm Butler player some nice D on a deep pass to Landry, Damian Williams made Jamie Collins miss a potential drive-ending tackle to pick up a first down.
Williams finished with 20 total yards on the drive, which ended with a 38-yard field goal by Andrew Franks.
1st Quarter, 11:50: The Patriots go three-and-out, as the offense can't muster much on their first possession.
Steven Jackson got a pair of runs, picking up three yards on first down before losing a yard on a second down run up the middle. Facing 3rd-and-8, Brady made a quick shovel pass to Brandon Bolden, who was stopped after gaining six yards.
The Pats look determined to get their run game going today.
Miami will take over at their own 26-yard line when play resumes.
1st Quarter, 14:01: After Ryan Tannehill hit Jarvis Landry for 11 yards on the first play from scrimmage, the Pats D buckled down.
Lamar Miller picked up three yards on the ensuing first down, but Jamie Collins made a nice play to knock a pass away from Landry over the middle on second down. Tannehill went deep on third down, but put a little too much on a pass intended for Kenny Stills.
The Dolphins had to punt away, with Keshawn Martin calling for a fair catch at the New England 15.
Pregame, 1:02 p.m.: The Patriots won the coin toss, and Matthew Slater made it very, very clear that they wanted to defer and kick to start this one.
Pregame, 12:51 p.m.: It's nearly 80 degrees in Miami just ahead of kickoff, but the Pats had an extra day to get used to such conditions this week.
With the Winter Classic at Gillette, the Pats went to Miami on Thursday. Bill Belichick said in his pregame interview with Bob Socci on 98.5 The Sports Hub that practicing in the humidity on Friday was one of the many benefits to taking that early trip south.
It looks like Danny Amendola will be taking the punt returning duties back today. He put in a lot of pregame work on that front, along with Chris Harper and Keshawn Martin.
There was also a pretty cool scene on the field as Tom Brady spent a few minutes chatting with former Miami QBs Dan Marino and Bob Griese.
Pregame, 12:25 p.m.: New England's offensive line is always something to focus on, especially since it's a make-shift line protective Tom Brady one week before the playoffs begin.
Based on warmups, it looks like it will be Cameron Fleming protecting Brady's blindside with Josh Kline next to him, Bryan Stork at center and Tre' Jackson and Marcus Cannon making up the right side. David Andrews and Shaq Mason are the backups, but tackle LaAdrian Waddle (though active) doesn't appear to be dressed for the game today.
Pregame 11:40 a.m.: It's so simple for the Patriots: Beat the Dolphins and they're the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
It's a situation they'd prefer not to be in, but here we are with a somewhat meaningful game on the final week of the regular season.
The team just released their list of inactive for today's tilt, but it's more important who isn't on the list.
Receiver Danny Amendola is active and ready to go after hitting the field for some warmups. Both safeties Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung are available, along with defensive end Rob Ninkovich.
Just because they're active doesn't mean they'll all play -- or they'll play a lot -- but the Patriots are getting some important bodies back at an important time. It'll be interesting to see how they balance health and going for that No. 1 seed this afternoon.
Stick with us throughout the day for all the updates, and for a full breakdown after the game.
