Stayin' Alive: Patriots Survive Dolphins, Avoid Elimination
Because New England's defense never rests, the Patriots' obituary is put on hold.
On the first Sunday of 2023, just as in 2022, the Pats got a game-changing play from a defense that has saved them all season. Safety Kyle Dugger's Pick Six gave New England the lead in the third quarter and Mac Jones sealed the deal with a late touchdown pass to Jakobi Meyers in a 23-21 victory over the injury-ravaged Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium to stay alive for an AFC playoff berth.
Miami closed the gap to two points on Mike Gesiki's touchdown catch with 1:04 remaining, but Hunter Henry recovered the ensuing onside kick and the Patriots ran out the clock to provide a sigh of relief and a stay of execution.
The 8-8 Patriots now face a simple path to the postseason: Beat the Bills in Buffalo next Sunday.
In a game with massive postseason implications, the Patriots played without three of their top cornerbacks. But Miami was even more short-handed, down to third-string rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson for most of the second half after Teddy Bridgewater (who was filling in for starter Tua Tagovailoa) injured his throwing hand on the Dugger interception.
The Dolphins lost their fifth in a row to fall to 8-8.
After scoring on its first possession, New England's offense was sloppy and lethargic - even drawing boos from the Foxoboro faithful - midway through the third quarter of a game it trailed 14-10. But that's when Dugger - yes, again - gave the Patriots a 16-14 lead with his second Pick Six in three weeks. The safety made a leaping interception of a Bridgewater pass at Miami's 39-yard line before making four cuts and finally stiff-arming Miami's quarterback at the goal line for the touchdown.
It was the Patriots' league-leading seventh defensive touchdown of the season and fourth consecutive game with a score. On Thompson's first series replacing Bridgewater, he too was picked off when Tyreek Hill bobbled a pass into the hands of cornerback Jonathan Jones.
Mac Jones and the offense finally produced some offense, putting the game away with an 11-play, 89-yard drive that featured completions to Kendrick Bourne (16 yards) and Meyers (25) before a 22-yard pass interference penalty set up Meyers' 1-yard scoring catch with 4:37 remaining.
New England marched 10 plays and 81 yards on its opening possession to take a 7-0 lead. Two third-down defensive penalties on the Dolphins' secondary and a 24-yard catch by Tyquan Thornton helped move the Pats into the Red Zone. On 3rd and 6 from Miami's 7-yard line, Mac Jones drilled a perfect pass to the rookie receiver in the left corner of the end zone.
A costly penalty on the Patriots' special teams allowed the Dolphins to tie the score at 7-7 early in the second quarter. They forced a punt, but Brenden Schooler was called for a running-into-the-kicker penalty that set up a 4th and 1. Miami coach Mike McDaniel gambled from his own 34 and converted with a Jeff Wilson 2-yard run up the middle. Given the new life, the Dolphins tied it on Hill's 2-yard scamper around the left end.
While the Pats' offense bogged down with five consecutive punts, the Dolphins pushed their lead to 14-7 midway through the third quarter. Taking advantage of more Jones inaccuracies and a short, 38-yard punt by New England's Michael Palardy, Miami took over at the Pats' 41-yard line and drove for their first lead on Bridgewater's awkward-but-successful 2-yard flip to Moster.
New England narrowed the gap to 14-10 on Nick Folk's 49-yard field goal with 4:03 remaining in the third quarter.
Despite a rocky road that has included an ankle injury in Week 3 to Jones that accidentally ignited a quarterback controversy and gut-wrenching, last-second losses to the Las Vegas Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals, New England can return to the playoffs with one more win. Simple, but certainly not easy, as the Pats have lost the last three meetings to the Bills by a combined 104-48.
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