Patriots rocked by Dolphins by 34-15 final in Miami
The New England Patriots fell to 3-9 on the 2024 season after a 34-15 defeat at the hands of the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium.
This game marked arguably the worst of the season for the Patriots in all facets. They netted only 269 total yards of offense, the majority of which came after they’d already gone down multiple scores; had little answers defensively for the Dolphins; missed a field goal try on special teams; and committed 10 penalties for 75 yards. The game wasn’t even as close as the final score indicated.
The Pats were shaky from the start, as penalties bit them on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Drake Maye and the offense drove down to the Dolphins’ 27-yard line and settled for a 45-yard field goal attempt, but Joey Slye’s kick hit the right upright, keeping it a scoreless game.
The Dolphins responded with an eight-play, 65-yard drive culminating in a touchdown catch for ex-Patriots tight end Jonnu Smith. Patriots linebacker Anfernee Jennings aided Miami by committing a neutral zone penalty that gifted them a fresh set of downs in the red zone.
It only got worse for the Patriots from there. The Pats’ next three possessions ended in punts, then they took a knee to run out the clock at the end of the first half. The Dolphins, meanwhile, scored on four straight possessions, including three consecutive touchdown drives and a field goal just before halftime.
Miami running back De’Von Achane caught two passes and ran both in for touchdowns, first on a screen and second on a simple swing pass with no one near him, allowing him to stroll into the end zone.
The Patriots finally forced a Dolphins punt to start the third quarter. In fact, they forced two straight punts. But the offense could not answer. Penalties and odd play-calling, namely a third-and-17 double-pass that went nowhere, led to a punt, and then Maye coughed up the ball for a strip-sack.
The Dolphins cashed in on that turnover with another touchdown, this time for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, who finished with X catches for X yards and the score.
New England finally started to show signs of life in the fourth quarter, but the game was already out of hand by that point. Maye escaped the pocket on a fourth-and-15 play and launched an impressive deep ball to tight end Austin Hooper for a 38-yard touchdown, which made it 31-7.
Later in the fourth quarter, just after the Dolphins put backup quarterback Skylar Thompson into the game, they fumbled on a handoff and Pats cornerback Christian Gonzalez scooped it up for a 62-yard run-back and another touchdown. The Patriots then converted for two points to make it 31-15.
A late Maye interception, however, put the game out of reach for good. The Dolphins picked up another three points on the ensuing drive, and 34-15 would be the final score.
Up Next: The Patriots will look to rebound from arguably their ugliest performance of the season in Week 13, when they head back to Foxboro to take on the also-bad Indianapolis Colts.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
