Tua Tagovailoa continues to impress, defying the odds and remaining a thorn in the side of the New England Patriots (2-6). Despite several changes to his offensive line due to injuries on Sunday, Tagovailoa led the Miami Dolphins (6-2) to a 31-17 victory at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Tagovailoa threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns, while Jalen Ramsey intercepted a pass, forced a fumble, and didn’t allow a single catch on his side of the field in his Dolphins debut. Ramsey intercepted Patriots quarterback Mac Jones on a pass intended for Kendrick Bourne and returned it 49 yards in the second quarter. Ramsey missed the first seven games of the season after having surgery in July to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.
Mac Jones had another lackluster performance for the Patriots, throwing for 161 yards on 19-of-29 passing with two touchdowns and one interception.
This victory marked the fourth consecutive home win for the Dolphins against the Patriots, and it was their sixth in the last seven matchups. The Dolphins, with their latest victory, improved their record to 6-2 on the season, maintaining a half-game lead over Buffalo (5-3) in the fiercely competitive AFC East. In contrast, New England dropped to 2-6, a stark contrast to their dominant postseason legacy. The Dolphins haven’t started a season with a 6-2 record since 2001.
Furthermore, the Dolphins’ remarkable home record remains a source of pride and joy as they extended it to 16-2 in their last 18 home games. This kind of success had not been seen at Hard Rock Stadium since the legendary streak of 23-2, which spanned from October 30th, 1983, to January 4th, 1986, at the Orange Bowl.
Tagovailoa’s three touchdown passes included a stunning 42-yard connection to Tyreek Hill and a 31-yarder to Jaylen Waddle. With this victory, Tagovailoa extended his career record against the legendary Patriots head coach, Bill Belichick, to an impeccable 6-0. Despite injuries plaguing Tagovailoa’s offensive line, the quarterback remained unfazed, completing 30 of his 45 passes. His performance also boosted his league-leading passing yardage total to 2,416.
Jaylen Waddle contributed with seven catches for 121 yards and a touchdown, while Tyreek Hill had eight receptions for 112 yards and a score. Notably, Hill became the first player in the Super Bowl era to surpass 1,000 receiving yards in just eight games.
Tagovailoa’s third touchdown pass was a modest 1-yarder to Cedrick Wilson. It was Wilson’s first touchdown since before Miami picked him up in free agency last year. He hadn’t scored since Week 18 of 2021 with Dallas.
The Dolphins turned the ball over twice, and the Patriots scored 10 points with those opportunities. Tagovailoa was sacked on Miami’s second drive of the game and threw an interception on the next play, which the Patriots turned into a 7-0 lead when Jones found Kendrick Bourne for a 24-yard touchdown. Raheem Mostert fumbled at Miami’s 19 on the first play of the third quarter with the Dolphins up 17-7. That resulted in a 38-yard field goal by Chad Ryland.
In the first half, head coach Mike McDaniel displayed confidence in his offense, opting for fourth-down gambles on three separate occasions. His gamble paid off, with the Dolphins successfully executing all three plays. One such play involved an agile 8-yard scramble by Tagovailoa, who executed a flawless slide, showcasing his remarkable growth and improvement in that aspect of his game. Furthermore, linebacker Bradley Chubb’s stellar performance was a highlight, as he recorded his fourth sack in the past three games, in addition to two quarterback hits and a tackle for loss.
It was a day marked by the offensive line’s struggle to create running lanes, yet Mostert later contributed his NFL-best 10th rushing touchdown of the season — a 1-yard score on Miami’s next offensive possession that put the Dolphins ahead 24-10 in the third quarter.
Despite the Patriots’ valiant efforts to narrow the deficit to 24-17 with 8 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, it was ultimately the Dolphins who emerged victorious. Mac Jones orchestrated a 3-yard touchdown pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster, the Patriots receiver’s first touchdown of the season, but the Dolphins put the game out of reach when Jaylen Waddle capitalized on a defensive miscommunication and was off to the races into the end zone with a 31-yard reception from Tagovailoa, securing the win with 2:43 left in regulation, which was culminated by a 10-play drive that covered 75 yards in total.
However, the story of this game was the Dolphins’ offensive line woes, stretched to its limits by injuries and unexpected circumstances. To begin with, the Dolphins were missing their starters, Terron Armstead and Connor Williams. By the second quarter, Kendall Lamm was nursing an abdominal injury, and Rob Hunt had a hamstring issue. This left the Dolphins with right tackle Austin Jackson as the only recognizable starter among the five offensive linemen, highlighting the adversity the Dolphins faced on Sunday.
Tyreek Hill’s performance was a sight to behold, as he once again shone against the Patriots. His touchdown reception in the second quarter, when he blazed past cornerback J.C. Jackson, was reminiscent of his previous exploits against the Chargers’ J.C. Jackson earlier in the year. Bill Belichick’s reacquisition of Jackson, who boasts an impressive 17 interceptions in a two-year span starting in 2020 and a Pro Bowl appearance, added a layer of intrigue to the matchup.
One peculiar aspect of Hill’s performance was his stoic reaction to his 42-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter. Instead of celebrating exuberantly, he simply ran to the bench and took a seat. He had been flagged in Miami’s previous two home games for unsportsmanlike conduct for his celebrations. With 61 catches for 1,014 yards this year, he is on pace to potentially break the 2,000-yard milestone in a single season, a feat never achieved by an NFL receiver and one that Hill claimed to the media he would break entering this season. Such an exceptional achievement naturally positions him as a prominent candidate in the MVP race, alongside Tagovailoa.
Safety DeShon Elliott left a lasting impact with a crushing hit, denying former Dolphin DeVante Parker a reception. Unfortunately, Parker suffered a head injury, where he appeared to be disoriented when he tried to get back up from the ground and was forced to exit the game to be evaluated for a concussion. Elliott’s helmet appeared to make contact with Parker’s on the hit. No flag was thrown. Meanwhile, the enigmatic Mike Gesicki, a former Dolphins tight end-turned-Patriots player, had a lackluster performance, catching only two passes for 11 yards.
The game also witnessed a heated moment when JuJu Smith-Schuster delivered a forceful hit against safety Brandon Jones, who had an apparent opportunity for an interception on a lofted pass. The collision left Jones on the ground, requiring medical attention. The Dolphins took exception to the hit and Smith-Schuster’s subsequent celebration, leading to a brief altercation between the teams. Given Jones’s resilience in overcoming previous injuries, it was understandable that the Dolphins were sensitive to the situation. To Smith-Schuster’s credit, he realized the gravity of the situation and approached Jones, seemingly offering an apology. Nevertheless, he was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The Dolphins will soon embark on a trip to Germany to face reigning Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, in Frankfurt, following a bye week.
