Dolphins Blow First-Half Lead in Loss to Patriots

Dolphins Blow First-Half Lead in Loss to Patriots

The Dolphins‘ game was a tale of two halves. In the first half, it looked like they could pull off an upset. Their defense was stifling, and their offense looked like it hadn’t missed a beat from last week. In the second half, they looked like the young, inexperienced team they are. 

The Patriots took the lead on an Andres Borregales 345-yard field goal. Miami responded with a 31-yard field goal by Zane Gonzalez. 

Miami dominated the second quarter, with Gonzalez kicking a 52-yard field goal to make it 6-3. Then Malik Willis found Malik Washington for a 1-yard touchdown, and went into halftime with a 13-3 lead. 

New England took the lead in the third quarter when Drake Maye found Kyle Williams for a 43-yard touchdown. Though it looked like he fumbled out of the end zone, review confirmed it was a touchdown. Later, Maye would rush for a 2-yard score. 

The fourth quarter looked to be going a bit better for Miami on their first drive; however, a Willis pass that deflected off a Patriot defender’s helmet was intercepted. New England quickly answered with another touchdown on a 48-yard pass to DeMario Douglas. 

To make matters worse for the Dolphins, they drove into field goal range on a 5:58, 11-play drive that covered 45 yards and ended in a missed field goal. The Patriots took 2:40 off the clock on a five-play drive that ended in a punt. However, Willis found Kevin Coleman Jr. for a 35-yard field goal. They couldn’t convert the ensuing two-point conversion. 

Miami tried an onside kick but couldn’t recover it. They still had a chance to get the ball back if they could stop New England. Unfortunately, they couldn’t, and the Patriots won 24-19. 

Malik Willis had a decent day, going 21 of 32 for 211 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Ollie Gordon II also did well, rushing 19 times for 69 yards. Kevin Coleman caught 3 passes for 46 yards and a touchdown. Greg Dulcich and Celeb Douglas each caught 4 passes for 43 yards, and Malik Washington caught 5 for 40 yards and the touchdown. 

It was another week of hard-learned lessons for Miami. I never truly believed the Dolphins had a chance coming in, but they did enough in that first half to make me believe they could win. I do think these kinds of losses will help develop the young players on the roster; they weren’t ready to win today, but hopefully they will one day.

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