The New England Patriots on Sunday suffered another defeat in their house of horrors, leaving Miami with an embarrassing 34-15 loss to the Dolphins.
Miami led 24-0 at halftime and 31-0 in the third quarter. The Patriots’ offense moved the ball well in the first quarter, but the field tilted after a missed field goal from Joey Slye, and the Dolphins largely coasted to victory. New England made things interesting in the fourth quarter, but an ugly Drake Maye interception ended the comeback bid.
Ugly Loss to Dolphins Puts Patriots Coaches Under Microscope
It wasn’t just that the Patriots lost or how many points they lost by. It’s how they looked in this game.
The Patriots committed a whopping 13 total penalties, 10 of which were accepted. They looked ill-prepared on both sides of the ball, with Miami’s pass rush dominating an offensive line that had stabilized in recent weeks, and the Dolphins’ offense easily dissecting New England’s defense.
Nobody had answers. Not head coach Jerod Mayo. Not offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. Not defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington. It was a total coaching mismatch.
Say what you want about the Patriots, but they’re not that much worse than the Dolphins — not this season, anyway. Yes, the players bear some responsibility. But when a team looks so disjointed in all three phases, coaches must shoulder most of the blame.
It’s not a stretch to say that Sunday’s game moved all Patriots coaches — including Mayo — closer to the offseason unemployment line. It was that bad, and the 14 garbage-time points don’t sway things.
Drake Maye did all he could in a hopeless situation, completing 22 of 37 passes for 221 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He also ran five times for 26 yards, took four sacks, and lost one fumble.
DeMario Douglas led Patriots pass catchers with five catches for 61 yards. Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, and Kendrick Bourne combined for 12 receptions.
On the other side, Tua Tagovailoa moved to 7-0 against the Patriots after completing 29 of 40 passes for 317 yards and four touchdowns. He was sacked just twice and averaged 2.23 seconds to throw, per Pro Football Focus’ in-game tracking.
Jaylen Waddle was the standout, catching eight of nine passes for 144 yards and one touchdown. Tyreek Hill and Jonnu Smith added 48 and 87 yards, respectively, while De’Von Achane ran for 32 yards while posting two receiving touchdowns.
Things we love to see: pic.twitter.com/8SniJHencR
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) November 24, 2024
Overall, the Dolphins racked up 373 net offensive yards compared to 267 for the Patriots. Miami also generated more first downs (23 to 14), was better on third downs (33% to 21%), and won the time-of-possession battle (32:04 to 27:56).
The Patriots dropped to 3-9 with the loss, while the Dolphins improved to 5-6 with the win. New England will host the Indianapolis Colts in Week 13 before going on their bye week.
Let’s look at three studs and three duds from Sunday’s game at Hard Rock Stadium.
Best Players for the Patriots in Loss to Dolphins
QB Drake Maye
I could’ve gone either way on Maye, as the two turnovers continued his troubling trend of not protecting the football. He needs to clean it up.
However, the rookie was under siege all day, and there really wasn’t anything he could do on the fumble. The interception was bad, but he also was just trying to make a play with the game slipping away. It happens.
Ultimately, Maye deserves credit for hanging tough and moving the ball against a solid defense. His scramble-drill touchdown pass to Hooper was another example of his elite talent.
Drake ➡️ Hoop for a 4th quarter score
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/REHPLyN9wo
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 24, 2024
TE Austin Hooper
Hooper continued his underrated season with four catches for 59 yards and a score. He’s topped 30 receiving yards in four of his last six games and has developed good chemistry with Maye.
RB Antonio Gibson
Antonio Gibson finished with six carries for 30 yards along with one catch for 14 yards.
He was particularly impressive on New England’s second drive when he caught one pass for 14 yards and ran three times for 24 yards. He could’ve been in for a big day had the score not gotten so out of hand.
Honorable mentions: Ben Brown, Anfernee Jennings, DeMario Douglas, Christian Gonzalez, Keion White
Who Struggled for the Patriots in Loss to Dolphins?
Offensive Tackles
What a brutal performance.
Vederian Lowe and DeMontrey Jacobs combined for six total penalties, two sacks allowed, and 11 QB pressures, per PFF.
Lowe committed a third-down false start that killed New England’s first drive and committed another false start on the second drive. During New England’s fourth drive, Lowe committed a holding penalty that wiped out a 19-yard catch-and-run by Stevenson. He also false-started on the final drive of the first half.
Meanwhile, Jacobs committed a false start and a holding on the second drive — before Joey Slye missed a 45-yard field goal — and allowed a third-down sack on New England’s third drive.
.@zachsieler strips the ball & Jordyn Brooks scoops it up!
📺 #NEvsMIA on @NFLonCBS & @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/ig2Ke3vizk
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) November 24, 2024
Lowe and Jacobs have looked like viable tackle options at times this season. You could squint and see solid swing tackles if not bridge starters.
However, Sunday offered a clear reminder that New England must target a franchise tackle next offseason.
Pass Rush
Everyone talks about receiver and tackle, but edge rusher is a sneaky big need for the Patriots next offseason.
New England registered nine sacks against the Chicago Bears in Week 10 but combined for just two sacks in Weeks 7, 8, 9, and 11. After posting zero sacks in Week 11, the Patriots managed just two on Sunday, and one came from Brenden Schooler on a safety blitz. Tagovailoa barely broke a sweat.
But forget about the sacks; the Patriots barely are generating any pressure. They logged just seven QB pressures on Sunday, per PFF, with Keion White’s two pressures leading the way. Most of the pressures were generated in the second half when the game was out of reach.
After White and Christian Barmore, the Patriots don’t have any pass rushers that opposing offenses need to game plan for.
CB Marcus Jones
Waddle schooled nearly everyone he matched up against, but he was especially productive against Marcus Jones.
According to PFF, Jones gave up five catches on eight targets for 80 yards, with Waddle accounting for all of the yards. It wasn’t all bad for Jones, who registered seven tackles and three pass breakups, but the third-year pro gave up some big plays in the first half.
Jones has been right there on many of the catches he’s allowed, with his size (5-foot-8) often being the biggest difference. So, it’s not like he’s been getting dusted or anything. But he needs to be better.
Honorable mentions: Bryce Baringer, Kyle Dugger, Linebackers, Michael Jordan, Kayshon Boutte, Marte Mapu, Jonathan Jones