Miami Dolphins fullback Alec Ingold rushes for a touchdown during the second half Sunday against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. [Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images]

Dolphins Again Find Win Column

Chance Barber October 7, 2024 Football, Miami Dolphins, NFL 41 Views

The Miami Dolphins ended their three-game losing skid Sunday with a 15-10 win at the New England Patriots.

It was the Dolphins’ first win since losing quarterback Tua Tagovailoa earlier in the season, but does it prove much? The Patriots can make a case for being the worst team in the NFL this season and the Dolphins didn’t win by a landslide.

AFC East Picture

Miami and New England both came in with 1-3 records, tied for last in the AFC East. In a division with a Buffalo Bills team expected to make the playoffs and a New York Jets team with many expectations surrounding them, it will be hard for either one of these teams to make much headway in their division.

On paper, this was likely the worst matchup of the day. The Dolphins and Patriots both have statistically the two worst offenses in football. After Sunday’s game, the Dolphins have scored 60 points and the Patriots 62.

Tyler Huntley Still Miami Starter

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel stuck with Tyler Huntley at quarterback in place of the injured Tagovailoa. Huntley didn’t have a good showing last week, amassing only 96 yards against the Titans. With no real timetable for Tua’s return, if any, Huntley looks set to remain at the helm for the immediate future.

First-Half Recap

Huntley took Miami down the field until the drive lost steam. Kicker Jason Sanders connected on a 54-yard field goal to give the Dolphins points on the opening drive. The Dolphins’ defense looked strong to start the game, forcing the Patriots to punt after a sack of Jacoby Brissett on third down.

Huntley threw an interception after Miami’s defense stepped up to give New England new life.

The Patriots took over at Miami’s 45 and wasted no time finding the end zone. Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson broke off a 33-yard touchdown run, capitalizing on the good field position.

Miami had a chance to find the scoreboard in the dying seconds of the first quarter, but Sanders was unable to connect on the 41-yard field goal attempt.

The second quarter was just full of sloppy play. Miami had a punt blocked by New England, just for the Pats to miss the 33-yard field goal attempt.

Right before the two-minute warning, the Dolphins botched the snap on third down for a loss of 20 yards. The Patriots did nothing with the ball, eventually punting it to allow the Dolphins another chance. With 30 seconds left in the half Miami attempted another field goal. Another bad snap resulted in no kick and the game going to halftime 7-3 in the Patriots favor.

Second-Half Recap

The third quarter was a kicking contest, with the Patriots making a field goal at the 11-minute mark. Not to be outdone, Miami kicked two field goals to make the score 10-9 going into the fourth quarter.

Miami finally found the end zone on fullback Alec Ingold’s 3-yard touchdown burst for a 15-10 lead. Miami went for two but failed, giving the Patriots time to drive down the field.

The Pats drove down the field and scored a touchdown with about a minute left in the game. Unfortunately for them, the touchdown call was reversed after instant replay showed Ja’Lynn Polk didn’t get both feet down.

The Dolphins held on, but the win was everything but clean. The Dolphins head into a much needed bye week before playing the Colts on Oct. 20. The Patriots have to prepare to play the Texans on Sunday.

Jabrill Peppers legal issues

To make matters worse for the Patriots, team captain Jabrill Peppers was arrested Saturday. Peppers didn’t play Sunday due to injury. Peppers is expected to be charged with assault and battery, assault and battery with a deadly weapon, strangulation and possession of a Class B drug that is believed to be cocaine.

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