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One big thing: Christian Gonzalez gave Patriots a spark, but penalties were too much to overcome
Gonzalez now has two career interceptions, both against the Dolphins.
The Patriots were in need of a spark late in the first quarter, and they got one from Christian Gonzalez.
They had yet to score after going backwards on their opening drive and allowing Jacoby Brissett to be sacked twice. They committed a careless 12-men on the field-penalty that gave Miami the ball back after a key fourth-down stop.
But then, Gonzalez made a play and gave New England the momentum it needed to get things rolling. He anticipated a short post from Odell Beckham Jr. and broke in front of the route with impeccable timing. He dove for the ball and caught it with both hands, recording his first interception of the season.
Four plays later, the Patriots scored their only touchdown of the game on a 33-yard outside run from Rhamondre Stevenson.
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But, it wasn’t enough. Ill-timed penalties crushed the Patriots on several occasions, and Miami pulled off a 15-10 victory on the road.
The Patriots had nearly as many penalty yards (105) as passing yards (148), and the timing was often brutal. Christian Ellis got whistled for defensive pass interference on 3rd and 13, giving Miami a 1st down on the Patriots’ 48. The Dolphins capitalized on the extended drive, punching in a 3-yard Alec Ingold touchdown.
New England had 1st-and-10 on Miami’s 33 when Vederian Lowe was whistled for a holding call that pushed them back and made their final drive harder than it needed to be. The Patriots nearly scored on a Ja’Lynn Polk catch in the back of the endzone, but the play was overturned after a review from officials.
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Gonzalez now has two career interceptions. Both were at Gillette Stadium against the Dolphins. He elevated over Tyreek Hill for a two-handed interception in a loss to Miami last September.
The second-year cornerback nearly snagged another interception in the third quarter on a throw towards Hill. Miami quarterback Tyler Huntley uncorked an awkward throw towards the end zone while falling backwards, and Gonzalez stepped in front of it.
Hill made a heads up play to poke the ball out and cause it to fall to the ground as an incomplete pass.
The one pick he had was sensational. A second would have been a heck of an encore.
Overall, Gonzalez fared well against Hill, following the eight-time Pro Bowler around for much of the contest and holding him to 6 catches and 69 yards on 9 targets with no touchdowns.
Gonzalez holding his own against Hill was one of the few bright spots in a rock-fight between two of the league’s worst offenses. The Patriots came excruciatingly close, ending the game four yards away from the endzone as time expired.
However, the penalties were simply too much to overcome. The Patriots cannot afford to make that many mistakes even when their opponent was the only team in the league that entered Sunday’s contest scoring fewer points than them.
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