Tua Tagovailoa went off for 321 yards and three touchdowns as the Miami Dolphins outclassed the New England Patriots 31-17 on Sunday afternoon.
Tagovailoa ended the chance of a Patriots comeback by finding receiver Jaylen Waddle wide open on third-and-one for the touchdown in the fourth quarter giving the Dolphins a two-score lead. The Patriots made it a one-score game in the fourth with quarterback Mac Jones finding receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster for the touchdown his first of the season, but it did not matter as Tagovailoa responded right away.
“We’re in uncharted waters,” Patriots special team captain Matthew Slater said about being 2-6. “I think this is an opportunity for us to display what kind of character we have, what kind of resolve we have, what kind of commitment to the game of football we have.”
The Patriots got out to an early lead in the game from an interception by Tagovailoa as Patriots safety Kyle Dugger disguised himself well to end up with the ball. Jones found receiver Kendrick Bourne open in the middle and ran in the touchdown for the Patriots. This was a short-lived lead as the Dolphins responded immediately with Tagovailoa finding receiver Tyreek Hill for a 42-yard touchdown tying the game 7-7.
The following Dolphins drive saw them go 43 yards downfield for a touchdown as Tagovailoa found receiver Cedric Wilson for the touchdown giving the Dolphins the lead. The drive was kept alive by a controversial defensive pass interference penalty on Patriots corner J.C. Jackson who had a slight tug of the jersey on Hill.
The Patriots responded with a good drive, but Jones threw an interception to Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey who returned it into Patriots territory. Ramsey left his receiver and peeled down to make the interception, confusing Jones in the process who thought he had an open receiver. The Dolphins only got a field goal out of this, but had all the momentum leading 17-7 at the half.
Last Sunday saw improvements from Jones, but this game saw Jones take a step back. Jones finished with 161 yards and two touchdowns but faced constant pressure from the Dolphins. Jones was sacked three times and looked lost at times scared of getting hit or making a mistake.
“[Ramsey] fell off on [the interception] and made a play, it’s what he does,” Jones said about Ramsey’s interception. “We had it a one-score game and couldn’t capitalize from the offensive side. The Dolphins had our card today.”
The Patriots started the second half well by recovering a fumble by Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert, but could only get a field goal out of it. After that, the game was completely dominated by the Dolphins. The Dolphins offense was just too much for the Patriots defense to handle, and had multiple plays for over 20 yards, while the Patriots only had one. Hill and Waddle combined for 233 yards and two touchdowns. Overall the Dolphins simply have more talent than the Patriots.
The performance last week against the Buffalo Bills felt like a turning point in the season for the team, but after Sunday’s performance against the Dolphins, it may have been a one-game wonder. Additionally, the Patriots suffered some injuries to key players. Linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley was out early in the game with a hamstring injury. Receivers DeVante Parker and Bourne went out in the second half with injuries. Parker suffered a hard hit after making a catch and went out of the game immediately with a head injury. Meanwhile, Bourne went out holding his knee after making a catch and suffered the worst as he had torn his ACL.
“You can’t hide at 2-6,” Slater said. “If you’re going to play this game, you’ve got to be committed to it regardless of what your record is.”
The Patriots fall to 2-6 and return home to Foxborough to face the Washington Commanders on Sunday. The team now sits at the bottom of the AFC standings and with the number of injuries adding up, the Patriots are going to need to dig in deep to have a chance to reach the playoffs, but with the inconsistency the team has been showing it’s looking more and more unlikely.
