New England Patriots

Patriots stunned by Dolphins, 27-24, in regular season finale

All of the live updates from the loss at Gillette Stadium.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady walks to the sideline after throwing an interception to Miami Dolphins cornerback Eric Rowe. The Patriots lost to the Dolphins on Sunday, 24-27. AP Photo/Elise Amendola

By Deyscha Smith and Christopher Price

12 minutes to read

Call it the sequel to last year’s Miami Miracle.

The Dolphins shocked the Patriots on Sunday at Gillette, 27-24. The loss, combined with Kansas City’s win, means New England will start the playoffs in the wild-card round as the third seed.

The Patriots will face either the Titans, Steelers or Raiders next weekend in Foxborough, depending on how the late games shake out.

New England struggled from the start in this one, falling into an early 10-0 hole and fighting to get out for much of the day. A second-half touchdown pass from Tom Brady to Elandon Roberts provided a brief second-half spark, and a late James White touchdown gave New England a 24-20 lead.

But Ryan Fitzpatrick delivered a clutch drive late in the fourth, one that culminated with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Mike Giesicki with less than a minute to go that ended the scoring.

4:05 p.m: 

That’s it. Miami has won this one, 27-24. Unreal.

3:58 p.m.: If the Patriots end up losing this one — and after that touchdown, it’s looking an awful lot like that’as going to be the case — you can carve this one on the tombstone: 13 plays, 75 yards, 3:29. That was the length of Miami’s drive. The Dolphins take a 27-24 lead with 24 seconds left. The Patriots will get the kickoff and they have some timeouts here. But given the way this is playing out, and by the looks of things in KC, New England could be ticketed for wild-card weekend.

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3:41 p.m.: Terrific block there by Shaq Mason sets up the touchdown for James White. It’s 24-20 with 3:53 to go in regulation. Impressive drive — eight plays, 60 yards, set up with a good runback by Bolden — for New England, which was able to cash in with the 13-yard touchdown pass to White.. Lots of contributors on that series for the Patriots, including a 10-yard pickup by Sanu on third down.

3:35 p.m.: There’s nothing scientific here — just my opinion. But very few Patriots, other than Rex Burkhead, are consistently gaining yards after they’re first hit this afternoon. Something to look for when it comes to rewatching the game.

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3:29 p.m.: The 32-yard field goal from Jason Sanders with 8:39 left in regulation makes it 20-17, Miami. Given the way that drive started for the Dolphins, holding them to a field goal feels like a win for New England. Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown for 243 yards on the afternoon — only two quarterbacks (Roethlisberger, Mahomes) have thrown for more this year against the Patriots’ defense.

3:17 p.m.: Ryan Fitzpatrick is 16-for-23 for 200 yards, Parker has four catches for 77 yards.

Brady is 10-for-19 for 162 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Sony Michel has 16 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown.

The game is tied at 17, there’s 11:52 left in regulation, and Miami has the ball at its own 37.

3:12 p.m.: Good stat.

:09 p.m.: The third quarter is done. Tied at 17. Feels like the game is there for the Patriots on this drive.

2:58 p.m.: 

So that HAS to be something that’ll wake everybody up, right? A touchdown pass for linebacker-turned-fullback Elandon Roberts that goes for 38 yards, and the game is tied at 17 with 4:26 left in the third quarter. A sharply run wheel route by Roberts — no one was covering him out of the backfield — and it ends with the first touchdown of his professional career. Talk about going deep into the playbook…

https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/1211376620268871680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1211376620268871680&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bostonglobe.com%2Fsports%2F2019%2F12%2F29%2Fcountdown-kickoff-dolphins-patriots%2FsVga5FPl4EjqctWUsMyIlM%2Fstory.html

2:50 p.m.: Terrific response there by the Dolphins, who drove 83 yards, with the capper coming on a 2-yard plunge by Fitzpatrick to make it 17-10 with 7:42 left in the third. The Miami offense converted back-to-back third downs near the end of the drive to keep the chains moving, and Fitzpatrick slithered his way through the New England defense for a score. An impressive performance this afternoon for Miami, which hasn’t backed down at all, and now has a very real shot to knock off the Patriots here.

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2:43 p.m.:

2:40 p.m.: I feel like I type this every week, but we’re again reaching the point where it feels like New England needs a jolt from either its defense or special teams to get things going. Maybe we see that here in the third quarter? It’s still tied at 10 with 13 minutes left in the quarter.

2:27 p.m.: A few halftime thoughts:

Here’s a setence I didn’t think I would type today: The Patriots are lucky to be tied with the Dolphins at halftime.

New England struggled for a quarter-plus on both sides of the ball before the offense really woke up and put together a nice 12-play drive near the end of the first half — one that ended with a 4-yard run by Sony Michel — to tie the game at 10. That drive also had the best offensive play of the afternoon for New England, a 50-yard pass play to Dorsett that set up the touchdown.

Bottom line — if the Patriots are able to produce like they did on that drive and less like they did on their previous series, then the second seed is basically a formality. If not, it’s going to be a rockfight the rest of the way. Brady is 5-for-12 for 92 yards and an interception, and there have been multiple overthrows from the quarterback, who did not look sharp at all for much of the first two quarters. One guy who deserves acknowledgment: N’Keal Harry, who has 31 yards from scrimmage on the day, and was New England’s best multiple option in the first half.

On the other side of the ball, Ryan Fitzpatrick is 10-for-15 for 125 yards. Only two quarterbacks — Ben Roethlisberger and Pat Mahomes — have passed for 250 or more yards against the Patriots this year. DeVante Parker has three catches for 67 yards for Miami. Lots of respect for the Dolphins, who are playing hard for Brian Flores today, even though there’s nothing on the line.

2:20 p.m.: 

That’s it. It’s 10-10 at halftime.

2:16 p.m.:

2:03 p.m.: At this point in the afternoon, some points are better than no points, right? A 25-yard field goal from Nick Folk makes it 10-3 with 5:51 left in the half. It was a 12-play, 68-yard drive that took 4:40 for New England, which will get the ball at the start of the second half. Signs of life here for the Patriots’ offense — now, it needs to build on that going forward. (For what it’s worth, it looked like N’Keal Harry was banged up at the end of that drive — given his play amd the health of Julian Edelman, New England really can’t afford to lose him today.)

1:53 p.m.:

1:51 p.m.: So all of the good stuff we saw from the New England offense last week against the Bills — mental and physical toughness, execution, a willingness to run the ball — is nowhere to be seen today. Eric Rowe just collected a pick six from Brady, and it’s 10-0 with 10:31 left ijn the first half. With everything that’s on the line this afternoon for the Patriots — the No. 2 seed, a week off, etc. — this is not the effort they were hoping for. Rough.

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1:47 p.m.: After the Dolphins managed to fight their way out of the shadow of their own goal line, the New England defense muscled up and produced a nice stop there to get the ball back. This feels like a statement series for the Patriots’ offense — they still haven’t scored, and we’re almost halfway through the second quarter. Fitzpatrick is 9-for-11 for 107 yards, while Brady is 3-for-5 for 24 yards. New England has the ball on its own 31, and is trailing 3-0 with 10:45 left in the first half.

1:42 p.m.: The Chargers leads the Chiefs, 7-3, early in the second quarter.

1:36 p.m.: The 3-0 lead for the Dolphins is their first in Foxborough since 2013.

1:34 p.m.: First quarter is in the books, and it’s been a sluggish start for New England on both sides of the ball. With a mix of trick plays and some steady work on the ground and in the air, Ryan Fitzpatrick has helped guide Miami to a 3-0 lead. The Patriots’ offense has shown some signs of life here at the end of the first quarter, but it’s safe to say that very few people outside of South Florida expected the Dolphins to be leading this one after a quarter. Brady is 2-4 for 10 yards, and Rex Burkhead has one carry for 14 yards.

1:26 p.m.: The Dolphins put the capper on that drive with a 28-yard field goal from Jason Sanders. It’s 3-0 with 1:38 to go in the first quarter. Good drive for Miami — not sure it’s sustainable for the whole afternoon, but the Dolphins clearly aren’t cowed by the conditions today.

1:22 p.m.:

 

1:20 p.m.: The Dolphins are emptying out the playbook today. Fake punt, reverse, shovel passes. Why not, right? Really like Miami’s approach today — the Dolphins aren’t scared, and while the execution has left something to be desired, you have to appreciate the fact Miami isn’t intimidated. The Dolphins are driving here with less than flour minutes left in the first quarter.

1:11 p.m.: Patriots defensive starters: Guy, Shelton, Simon, Van Noy, Collins, Hightower, Gilmore, Jackson, Chung, Harmon, D. McCourty.

Offensive starters: Brady, Michel, Sanu, Harry, Watson, LaCosse, Wynn, Thuney, Karras, Mason, Cannon. (No Edelman.)

1:10 p.m.: Didn’t work there on fourth down (really odd play call — why not just have Fitzpatrick back there?), but I acknowledge the approach by the Dolphins. You have to be bold in these sorts of situations — you can’t coach or play scared if you want to match up with the Patriots on a day like today. That being said, New England will get the ball near midfield.

1:10 p.m.: 

Didn’t work there on fourth down (really odd play call — why not just have Fitzpatrick back there?), but I acknowledge the approach by the Dolphins. You have to be bold in these sorts of situations — you can’t coach or play scared if you want to match up with the Patriots on a day like today. That being said, New England will get the ball near midfield.

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1:02 p.m.: Patriots win the toss and defer. Miami will start with the ball. Time for the foosball.

1:00 p.m.:

12:27 p.m.: A few pregame odds and ends. … If the Patriots shutout the Dolphins this afternoon, they’ll go down as one of the stingiest teams of all-time. Since the league went to a 16-game schedule, only seven teams in NFL history have allowed less than 200 points in a single season. New England currently sits at 198 points allowed on the year. … Greg Gumbel, Trent Green, and Melanie Collins will call the game for CBS. The Gumbel-Green combo has called two New England games since the start of the 2017 season and the Pats are 2-0 in those contests. … Clay Martin will referee today’s game. In his second season as a lead official, Martin has worked two New England games, including the Patriots’ win over the Redskins earlier this year.

12:21 p.m.: I like Brian Flores. He’s a smart guy with a lot on the ball. I got to know him a bit when he was here in New England, and I think he’s going to make a good head coach in the NFL someday. I also think Chad O’Shea is a good guy who will also find success in the NFL. Basically, this is my way of saying that the Dolphins are headed in the right direction. They might not make the playoffs either this year or next, but the long-term planning is in place for them to be successful down the road. It’s just a matter of whether or not Stepen Ross is willing to stick with it.

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That being said, I think Miami will play hard for their coach today, but I don’t think the Dolphins will be able to pull off the upset. (Can you imagine the level of pregame panic if this one was played in South Florida? And what would the over/under be on how many times Miami Miracle video would be part of the pregame shows this afternoon?) Nonetheless, a solid effort in the regular-season finale will provide a boost for the Dolphins, and send them into the offseason on a positive note.

12:13 p.m.:

12:08 p.m.: Highs in the low 40s, no chance of rain, clear and cool conditions this afternoon in Foxborough. Basically, the only way weather might play a factor in this one is the bright sunshine in the eyes of pass catchers or returners. Other than that, I wouldn’t expect the conditions to have a big impact on today’s contest. (For what it’s worth, it would be nice to have a real snow game before it’s all done this year.)

11:58 a.m.: The line for this week’s game has (not surprisingly) been in double digits all week, and I’d expect the outcome to reflect the pregame betting line. Most places I saw this morning had it at either -16 or -16.5 for the Patriots. The only question here is whether or not New England puts up a big enough margin in the first half that it starts to call off the dogs in the third and fourth quarter — that would obviously impact the final score. Ultimately, this game still feels like a two-touchdown spread, but if the Patriots have a sizable lead and end up sitting the starters in the second half, it could turn from something like a 14- to 17-point edge to a 10-point lead late. Basically, this is a dicey one to bet on, even though the Dolphins are 0-7 against the spread in their last seven games in Foxborough. Yikes.

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11:49 a.m.:

11:30 a.m.: Patriots inactives

The following players are inactive this afternoon for the Patriots: CB Jason McCourty, DL Byron Cowart, S Terrence Brooks, QB Cody Kessler, RB Damien Harris, TE Ryan Izzo, and OL Jermaine Eluemunor.

Harris, Kessler, Izzo, Eluemunor, and (to some extent) Cowart have been healthy scratches the bulk of the year, and so there’s no surprise there. McCourty has been struggling with a groin issue over the last month or so, and with the playoffs right around the corner (and New England secure in its depth at cornerback), better safe than sorry. I’d expect Joejuan Williams get some playing time in McCourty’s place. Brooks has also had a groin issue, and was questionable heading into this game as well.

The real news here is the list of players who are active: Sony Michel, Jonathan Jones, Julian Edelman, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Marcus Cannon, Shilique Calhoun and Jamie Collins are all active, despite being on the injury report as some point this week. If the second seed had been wrapped up last week, I have to imagine some or all of these guys would have been limited or inactive this week against Miami. Simply underscores the importance of this one.

11:23 a.m.:

10:55 a.m.: Pre-game reading list

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