Dolphins Continue Mastery of Patriots
Jalen Ramsey made a splash in his Miami Dolphins debut; Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle each went over 100 receiving performance, Tua Tagovailoa passed for more than 300, and the result was yet another victory against the New England Patriots.
The Dolphins improved to 6-2 on the season and remained atop the AFC East standings with their sixth victory in their past seven games against New England, a 31-17 decision at Hard Rock Stadium.
Tua Tagovailoa threw three touchdown passes, including a 42-yard hook-up with Hill over the top, and Raheem Mostert scored on a 1-yard run to account for the Dolphins touchdowns.
Ramsey came up with one of the biggest plays in the game when he picked off a Mac Jones pass late in the first half and returned it 41 yards to turn a Patriots scoring threat into a Dolphins field goal.
ANOTHER TOUGH GAME AGAINST NEW ENGLAND
As was the case in Week 2, the victory didn't come easy for the Dolphins, who fell behind 7-0 after Kyle Dugger intercepted a Tagovailoa pass to set up Mac Jones' touchdown pass to Kendrick Bourne, and then watched the Patriots make it a seven-point game midway through the fourth quarter.
The Dolphins outscored New England 24-3 between those two touchdowns and seemingly were in control after getting the ball back early in the fourth quarter.
The Dolphins defeated New England, 24-17, at Gillette Stadium in Week 2.
This was another close call, but the offense was able to slam the door after New England made it 24-17 with 8:30 left.
The Dolphins bled the block with four first downs, capping he drive when Tua hit a wide open Waddle over the middle for a 31-yard touchdown when two defenders went with the motioning Hill on the outside.
DOLPHINS INJURY ISSUES
While Ramsey made his first appearance in a Dolphins uniform, fellow cornerback Xavien Howard missed a second consecutive game because of a groin injury.
Center Connor Williams was active for the first time in three games, but didn't play, even as injuries continued to hamper the offensive line.
RIght guard Robert Hunt left in the first half with a hamstring injury and did not return, and left tackle Kendall Lamm left the game at the end of the first half with an abdomen issue though he did return at the start of the second half.
The offensive line to end the first half featured only one opening-day starter, right tackle Austin Jackson, along with backups Lamm, Lester Cotton, Liam Eichenberg and Robert Jones.
STRONG DEFENSIVE EFFORT
Despite New England's late touchdown, it was another good defensive performance for the Miami defense.
Along with the Ramsey pick, the Dolphins came up with three sacks, one each by Christian Wilkins, Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips.
The Dolphins also held New England to a 1-for-9 showing in third-down conversions.
Offensively, Hill's 112 receiving yards put him over 1,000 yards for the season and Tagovailoa had his first 300-yard passing performance against New England while improving his record against the Patriots to 6-0.
The victory set the stage for the showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs in Germany next Sunday.
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