On Sunday, a lot of individuals had a good time in South Florida. There was a pleasant, mild breeze and low humidity when the sun was out. The day was perfect for being outside.
Except if you were a Patriot.
Jerod Mayo’s club had their poorest performance of the season in this Week 12 game. This afternoon’s game soon got out of control in the first quarter, and the Patriots appeared to be undercoached and outmatched.
The Patriots’ offensive tackles played some of their worst football of the season, and they committed far too many penalties. The Patriots’ defence had few answers for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Jaylen Waddle, and Jonnu Smith.
In some ways, Sunday’s game was just as awful as the Patriots’ defeat at the hands of a Dolphins club led by quarterback Tyler “Snoop” Huntley.
The Patriots’ 34–15 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday was one of their most humiliating losses in recent memory, so the outcome was always certain. Mayo’s squad falls to 3–9.
What went wrong is as follows:
In the first half, the Patriots’ offence was destroyed by penalties.
The Patriots committed numerous penalties in the first half. It was unsightly.
Their first series was a setback for the offence. Due to a Vederian Lowe false start, the unit’s third-and-three swiftly became a third-and-eight. Ja’Lynn Polk was hit by Drake Maye, but the Patriots punted after the receiver only gained seven yards.
The Patriots lost points in the second series as a result of their ongoing self-harm.
This drive was annoying. On the one hand, Maye was playing well and the offence was moving the ball. However, the offensive line was responsible for three penalties and a 20-yard loss. In the first five plays of this series, Patriots tackles Lowe and Demontrey Jacobs were both flagged for false starts. Nevertheless, a 14-yard run by Antonio Gibson and a 14-yard reception by Gibson helped the Patriots escape that hole.
Jacobs was given a holding penalty after Maye took the offence all the way down to the 20-yard line. Rhamondre Stevenson gained three yards on a run play that Alex Van Pelt called for on third-and-16. At 3:12 of the first quarter, Joey Slye missed a 45-yard field goal as a result.
That was all Miami needed to get going. After scoring a touchdown in their subsequent series, the Dolphins didn’t turn around.
The Patriots’ situation somehow deteriorated. In their third series, the offence lost 15 yards as they went three-and-out. On the first play, Stevenson was dropped for a loss of six yards.
Chop Robinson sacked Maye for a loss of nine yards following an incomplete pass. Robinson reached the Patriots rookie quarterback unharmed after beating Jacobs on the play.
The Patriots tackle’s situation kept getting worse. A Lowe holding call cancelled Stevenson’s 19-yard reception to start the fourth offensive series. That was the third penalty in the first half for the left tackle. Four plays later, the offence punted and never recovered.
In the fifth series, it didn’t appear to be much better. Maye was strip-sacked as a result of the Dolphins’ recovery. The play was judged an incomplete pass, though, and was overruled. Maye was fired on third down after Lowe was penalised for his fourth penalty and another false start.
Patriots defense had no answers, and they couldn’t recover
The Dolphins decided to reinstate Tagovailoa as a result. This season, Brenden Schooler recorded his second sack. Another Miami punt resulted from that.
But the offence was unable to come together. Tyrel Dodson intercepted Maye at midfield with 5:19 remaining. With 3:33 left, the Dolphins led 33-15 after Sanders converted it into a 51-yard field goal.
The Patriots’ offence was unable to turn the ball over on downs after failing to gain three yards on consecutive plays. The Dolphins then ended the game by kneeling.
