The New England Patriots had a meltdown of epic proportions on both sides of the ball in Sunday’s 34-15 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
On defense, they got obliterated by Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins’ passing attack. The veteran quarterback went 29-of-40 passing for 317 yards and four touchdowns. Most of those passes went to wideout Jaylen Waddle, who seemed unguardable at times in the game.
The former Alabama standout hauled in eight passes for 144 yards and a touchdown. It would be easy to just point the finger at the defense, but the offense had its issues in the game, mostly notably when it came to penalties.
The unit was seemingly always behind the sticks with yellow flags flying left and right after almost every positive gain.
Rookie quarterback Drake Maye had some nice plays, and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt continued to show improvements with the play-calling. But none of it mattered due to the offense being so undisciplined in critical situations.
Overall, the Patriots racked up 13 penalties with 10 being accepted in the game.
Here are the studs and duds from the Week 12 performance:
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Christian Barmore was one of the few bright spots for the Patriots in this game. He’s starting to look more like himself since returning last week. That’s good news for a Patriots team that desperately needs his ability to pressure up the gut and stuff runs along the defensive front. He helped do both against the Dolphins, including securing one of two sacks on Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
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So far, the returns on Kyle Dugger’s new four-year deal haven’t been good. The veteran safety especially had a rough day on Sunday against Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith, who racked up nine catches for 87 yards and a touchdown. Perhaps his nagging ankle injury has been an issue this season. Regardless, the Patriots should seriously consider looking down the depth chart if Dugger’s struggles continue.
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Patriots right tackle Demontrey Jacobs was as bad, if not worse, than Vederian Lowe in Sunday’s game. He got bullied by Dolphins edge rusher Chop Robinson in the trenches throughout the contest. Things got so bad that the Patriots benched him for Sidy Sow in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding.
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This was easily one of Vederian Lowe’s worst performances for the Patriots. He had four penalties and gave up a strip sack fumble in pass protection. Things got so bad that the team might have considered benching him under normal circumstances. However, one look at the shockingly thin depth chart is a quick reminder of why they probably kept him on the field.
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When a team commits as many penalties as the Patriots did on Sunday, you have to chalk those issues up to coaching. New England looked like a sloppy, undisciplined mess on the field against the Dolphins in this matchup.
They seemed incapable of making in-game adjustments defensively, and the offense constantly beat itself with penalties and horrible pass protection. The players obviously need to play better, but Jerod Mayo and company need to coach better, too. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel put on a masterclass against the Patriots in this game.
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Kicker Joey Slye whiffing on a 45-yard field goal didn’t do the Patriots any favors in this matchup. They had a chance to pull ahead early after a strong opening drive by quarterback Drake Maye and the New England offense. Yet, Slye’s missed field goal killed some early momentum and kept the game scoreless before the avalanche ensued.
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Despite the defensive issues, Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez had another strong showing with three tackles, one pass deflection and a fumble returned for a touchdown. Gonzalez is proving himself to be one of the elite cornerbacks in the league, but his play is often overshadowed by the Patriots being one of the worst teams in football.
