The Miami Dolphins defeated the New England Patriots 22-12 in a game that ended the Patriot’s playoff hopes. The Patriots played a solid first half and held a lead, but the Dolphins proved to be too much for the Patriots today. I thought this was a winnable game for the Patriots because Tua Tagovailoa was shaky for most of it. The Patriots will now miss the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
Cam Newton Had a Solid Performance: Cam Newton had one of his best games in the last month today as he looked better throwing the football. The Patriot’s offensive line was solid today as they gave Newton a lot of time to throw throughout the game. I thought Newton stepped into throws well and saw the field nicely today. Newton was 17-27 for 209 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
I was encouraged to see Newton protect the football because he has struggled with that all season. The only problem was that the offense couldn’t produce a touchdown today, but I don’t put that on Newton. I still think Stidham should start, but I do acknowledge that Newton played a solid game.
The Patriots Run Defense Continues to Struggle: The Patriots defense once again struggled in the run game today as the Dolphins rushed for 250 yards. You can’t expect to win games in the NFL if you are giving up 250 rushing yards. The Patriots have not gotten better in the run game this season, and that’s discouraging.
The same problems still exist as the linebackers are leaving huge holes and players continue to miss tackles. The Dolphins are one of the worst yards per carry teams in the league, and the Patriots made them look like one of the best. The Dolphins’ longest rushes were 31, 24, and 12 yards, which can’t happen in close games. The Patriots are going to have to address this issue in the offseason.
Bill Belichick Had Another Questionable Coaching Decision: Bill Belichick elected to go for it on fourth down in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter instead of kicking a field goal. I didn’t understand the call because if you kick the field goal, it becomes a one-score game, and then you can try to stop them and get the ball back. I thought this was a bad decision by Belichick, and it proved to be costly as Newton got stuffed on the fourth down play.
3 Up: My three up for the game is Cam Newton, Nick Folk, and Jakobi Myers. Newton put together a solid performance, and he kept the Patriots in the game by protecting the football. Folk’s leg kept the Patriots in the game as he knocked down four field goals. Folk has been good for the Patriots this season, and I would expect the Patriots to bring him back next year. Myers was the best receiver in this game as he caught 7 passes for 111 yards. Although he fumbled, I thought he played the best game out of the Patriots receivers.
3 Down: My three down for the game is James White, Dalton Keene, and Devin Asiasi. White didn’t contribute much today as he had 2 rushes for 3 yards. White has lost his explosiveness, and he looks like a completely different player than the one who dominated Super Bowl 51. Keene and Asiasi were discouraging today as they both contributed nothing in the passing game. Asiasi showed zero effort on his only target of the game, and Keene looked like a four-year-old trying to catch a football on his only reception. This is discouraging because it looks like they haven’t developed since the start of the season.
The Patriots will return home to face the Buffalo Bills on Monday, December 28, at 8:15 pm.
Thompson's Takes 