FOXBORO — Let Sunday’s 34-15 loss to the Dolphins serve as a wake-up call for the 2024 Patriots.
Yes, the Patriots have won some games. Yes, they’ve stayed close in a handful of losses to bad teams.
And yes, at 3-9 they are still one of the worst teams in the league, and this is what will happen when they face a decent-to-good team like the Dolphins that is firing on all cylinders and not shooting themselves in the foot.
This Patriots team is not close and need loads of help this offseason.
The Dolphins took an early 7-0 lead on a 7-yard touchdown catch from former Patriots tight end Jonnu Smith, who was able to run through defensive backs Kyle Dugger and Jonathan Jones into the end zone. The play capped off an eight-play, 65-yard drive that started with a missed 45-yard field goal attempt by Patriots kicker Joey Slye. The kick hit off the right upright.
After a Patriots three-and-out, the Dolphins extended their lead to 14-0 on a another red-zone passing touchdown. This time, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa hit Devon Achane on a nine-yard catch-and-run that the speedy running backs took into the end zone. That capped off a nine-play, 66-yard drive with the Patriots’ defense showing little resistance.
The Patriots went three-and-out again, and the Dolphins once again responded with a touchdown pass from Tagovailoa. This one was to running back Devon Achane, who was left completely uncovered out of the backfield. Safety Kyle Dugger and linebacker Christian Elliss both followed Tyreek Hill out of the backfield, leaving Achane by himself to catch Tagovailoa’s pass and waltz into the end zone.
Another Patriots three-and-out resulted in three points for the Dolphins, who kicked a 21-yard field goal before the end of the half. Tagovailoa nearly threw two red-zone interceptions, but the Patriots came away with neither.
“Look, my message to the team was, ‘Look, this is the NFL. Just wasn’t good enough,’” head coach Jerod Mayo said after the loss. “First quarter, zero points across the board and then give up 24 points in the second quarter definitely is a tough pill to swallow.”
The first score of the second half came late in the third quarter. Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler strip-sacked Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye at the Pats’ 25-yard line. Two plays later, Tagovailoa hit wide receiver Jaylen Waddle for a 23-yard catch-and-run touchdown.
The Patriots finally got on the board when Maye successfully evaded a sack on fourth-and-15 and hit Austin Hooper near the end zone on 38-yard touchdown pass to cut the Dolphins’ lead to 31-7.
After the Dolphins replaced Tagovailoa with backup quarterback Skylar Thompson, running back Jaylen Wright fumbled on a muffed handoff. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez scooped it up and returned it 62 yards for a touchdown. The Patriots cut the Dolphins’ lead to 31-15 with a lateral play to running back Rhamondre Stevenson on a two-point conversion.
The Patriots tried to mount a comeback, but it came to a half when Maye’s backpedaling back-foot throw was picked off by Dolphins linebacker Tyrel Dodson late in the fourth quarter.
The Dolphins went up 34-15 on a 51-yard field goal by Jason Sanders to put the game away.
“We saw some fight at the end, which is encouraging, but at the same time, this game every single play counts,” Mayo said.
Maye was 19-of-33 for 212 yards with a touchdown and interception. He also had five scrambles for 26 yards with a fumble.
Takeaways
Coaching remains an issue
The Patriots didn’t always have the most talented defense. But they were smart, well-coached and knew where to be on every single play. And they could be counted on to be at the right place at the right time.
This defense can’t. There are too many instances of coverage breakdowns leading to big plays by the opposing team. There’s also the decision to deploy a zone defense on third-and-long in the first half, leading to an easy first-down conversion from Tagovailoa and the Dolphins.
On offense, the decision to run the ball on third-and-16 from the Dolphins’ 30-yard line, which led to Slye’s missed 45-yard field goal, must be questioned.
Overall, the Patriots had 10 penalties accepted for 75 yards. The Dolphins had just one penalty accepted for 5 yards. An undisciplined team is a poorly coached team.
Tackle play craters
The Patriots had been getting by with Vederian Lowe and Demontrey Jacobs as their starting tackles up to this point. They were arguably the Patriots’ worst players on Sunday, as flags and poor pass protection plagued the two blockers.
The Patriots have no other options at left tackle, but if Jacobs continues to struggle, then Mike Onwenu might need to move back over to right tackle.
Two more Maye turnovers
Maye turned the ball over for the fifth time in his seven starts. He played just one quarter before entering concussion protocol in one of the turnover-less games.
Turnovers have been an issue for Maye early in his rookie career. It’s also tough to blame Maye for Sunday’s fumble, when he was trying to evade a sack and had the ball stripped away while his team was trailing 24-0. If he fumbles that ball in a one-score game? Sure. But a quarterback should be trying to make plays while down 24 points.
Maye later proved this point by evading another sack and hitting Hooper for the 38-yard touchdown.
His interception was far less forgivable. He lofted the ball straight to Dodson.
Up
CB Christian Gonzalez: The top cornerback was solid in coverage and returned a fumble for a 62-yard touchdown. It was the Patriots’ first takeaway since Week 9. He came into the week questionable with a hip injury and was a game-time decision to play.
LB Christian Elliss: Elliss was involved in a coverage breakdown with Dugger on a touchdown by Achane, but he also covered well on a deep pass to the speedy running back.
S Marte Mapu: The young safety was inactive last week. He broke up two passes Sunday against the Dolphins. One of those bounced off of his helmet and likely would have been intercepted by Dugger had it not. But making the “up” list this week is a low bar.
Down
Starting tackles: Left tackle Vederian Lowe was flagged four times in the first half with three false starts and a holding penalty. He also allowed a strip-sack. Right tackle Demontrey Jacobs allowed a sack and was flagged for a false start and holding penalty. Sidy Sow later replaced Jacobs at right tackle.
CB Marcus Jones: Jaylen Waddle is the type of undersized, speedy wide receiver that should play to Jones’ strengths. The third-year pro allowed five catches on six targets for 80 yards. He did respond with three pass breakups.
S Kyle Dugger: Coverage breakdowns from Dugger contributed on all three of the Dolphins’ first-half touchdowns. Dugger has struggled since returning from an ankle injury. He was also flagged for pass interference.
