MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins are 6-2 for the first time since 2001. The New England Patriots are on to 2024.
Here are four more instant takeaways from the Dolphins’ 31-17 victory over Bill Belichick and the 2-6 Patriots.
Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots Observations
Jalen Ramsey, Worth Every Penny
The Dolphins’ defense is just different with Jalen Ramsey. The hype proved to be real in Ramsey’s Dolphins debut Sunday.
Three months and a day after he underwent major knee surgery, Ramsey was not only back in the lineup but back doing Jalen Ramsey things.
Yeah. @jalenramsey did THAT. 😤 pic.twitter.com/bvppRqFbhK
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) October 29, 2023
The highlight? His first interception since Christmas Day 2022.
Ramsey, late in the first half, baited Mac Jones into a lazy sideline pass to Kendrick Bourne, made a break on the ball, and returned it 49 yards to set up a late Jason Sanders field goal.
With Ramsey on the field, the Dolphins held the Patriots to 218 yards and 13 first downs.
Tyreek 2K Is Alive and Well
All-world wide receiver Tyreek Hill not only went over 100 yards in a game for the fifth time this season, he went over 1,000 yards on the season — and we’re only in Week 8.
Hill had 112 yards on eight catches — the most impactful of which was a 42-yard touchdown strike from Tua Tagovailoa late in the first quarter.
MORE: NFL Standings Week 8
On the season, Hill leads the NFL with 1,014 receiving yards. He also has eight receiving touchdowns. He needs to average 109.6 yards per game over the final nine games of the season to become the first receiver in NFL history to eclipse 2,000 in a season.
The scariest part for opposing DCs? Hill wasn’t even the Dolphins’ leading receiver Sunday. Jaylen Waddle (7-121-1) was. Tua finished the day 30 of 45 for 324 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.
Ball Security Remains a Concern
This game should have been a total rout. The only reason it wasn’t?
The Dolphins were determined to keep the Patriots in the game.
Miami spotted New England 10 points with two Tua turnovers — although only one was truly his fault.
He threw an interception directly to Kyle Dugger in the first half that set up a Patriots touchdown. And on the first play of the second half, he and Raheem Mostert were not on the same page on a handoff, and the result was a lost fumble deep in Miami territory.
Luckily for the Dolphins, their defense was playing out of their gourds Sunday.
Christian Wilkins sacked Mac Jones on third down, ending a four-play, minus-1-yard field-goal drive.
Mostert made up for it on the next drive, scoring his 12th touchdown on a season to cap an eight-play, 77-yard touchdown drive that took 5:10 off the clock.
Do It, Chris Grier
The Dolphins needed offensive line help entering the game. But a big problem became a crisis in the first half of Sunday’s game.
Already down three starters, two more Dolphins linemen went down Sunday — right guard Robert Hunt with a hamstring injury and left tackle Kendall Lamm with an abdomen issue.
While neither issue was serious — Lamm even returned in the second half — it revealed just how thin the Dolphins’ line is with Terron Armstead and Isaiah Wynn on IR and Connor Williams still not recovered from a groin injury.
Williams was active Sunday, but even after Hunt and Lamm left the game, did not see the field.
If the Dolphins are truly all-in this year, they need to be all-in on the OL market before Tuesday’s trade deadline.
From the current NFL standings to team depth charts to coverage of every game in the 18-week NFL schedule, we have all the news from around the league to keep you up to speed!