Fourth quarter, 0:35: Tom Brady was intercepted by Channing Crowder, and the Patriots choked another one away on the road. Some previous losses might have stung a little more than this one, but this is by far the Patriots' worst loss of the season. The Dolphins shouldn't even be on the same field as the Patriots, but too many mistakes — on the field and on the sidelines — amounted to a loss in a game the Patriots led 14-0.
Dolphins 22, Patriots 21. Fourth quarter, 1:02: Dan Carpenter split the uprights with a 41-yard field goal to give the Dolphins their first lead of the day. The Patriots will get the ball back and don't have any timeouts remaining.
Fourth quarter, 2:00: Chad Henne threw a missile to Greg Camarillo to convert on fourth-and-6 and set up the Dolphins in field-goal position. Miami has a first-and-10 at the New England 28-yard line after the 13-yard connection. If the Dolphins don't gain a single yard here, they'd be looking at a 45-yard field goal. Dan Carpenter has hit 6-of-7 field goals between 40-49 yards this season.
Fourth quarter, 3:44: Davone Bess returned Chris Hanson's punt to the Miami 26-yard line. Chad Henne takes over with one timeout and trailing 21-19. The Patriots' offense couldn't win the game, so it's up to the defense to show it deserves the opportunity.
Fourth quarter, 4:01: Why haven't the Patriots won a game in another team's stadium this season? They miss opportunities. The Dolphins were caught napping and had a late defensive substitution, and the Patriots were the ones who were confused and called a timeout. Poor management.
Fourth quarter, 4:44: Darius Butler is making the plays Jonathan Wilhite has failed to execute. Butler has been the more reliable cornerback of the two this season, and he should be the fulltime starter opposite Leigh Bodden. The Pats have the ball at their own 40 with a chance to ice the game.
Fourth quarter, 7:35: Really? A draw play on third-and-6? After it already worked once Sunday and the defense is looking for it? Hey, I'm all for giving the ball to Kevin Faulk, but when you're trying to win a December game in another team's stadium and you need all the wins you can get at this point in the season, let your franchise quarterback throw it. This is not the coaching staff's best game of the season.
Fourth quarter, 9:12: That was a quick possession. Chad Henne threw three incompletions, and the Patriots are getting the ball back. Wes Welker returned Brandon Fields' punt to the New England 36.
Fourth quarter, 9:39: Put that one on Tom Brady. Once again, the quarterback got too wrapped up with trying to hit Randy Moss, and he threw an interception as a result. Vontae Davis picked off Brady for the second time this season — Davis and Moss have a good rivalry budding — after Brady gambled in Moss' direction. This is the second time in this game the Patriots have gotten the ball inside Miami's 10-yard line and come away without any points. Brady's pass was intercepted in the end zone, so Miami takes over at its own 20.
Fourth quarter, 12:53: The Patriots just caught a serious break. Pierre Woods was flagged for running into the punter, which would have given the Dolphins a first down, but Miami was called for an illegal man downfield. Miami punted a second time, and the Patriots are taking over at their own 39. New England has been clinging to this lead, and it's time for the Patriots to show everyone they can go out and win a road game in the fourth quarter. The offense has to punch one into the end zone on this possession.
End of third quarter: Sam Aiken was flagged for offensive pass interference, which negated a fourth-down conversion in Dolphins territory. The Patriots punted it away, and Miami will take over at its own 3-yard line. Chris Hanson delivered a perfect punt that angled out of bounds in the shadow of Miami's end zone. While the Patriots should be excited about having Miami pinned deep in its own territory, the Patriots haven't exactly taken advantage of these opportunities — both Sunday and all season.
Patriots 21, Dolphins 19. Third quarter, 3:18: Chad Henne is having himself a ball game, and he delivered a beautiful seven-yard pass to wide receiver Brian Hartline in the left corner of the end zone. Henne took advantage of Leigh Bodden, who was playing too shallow in the zone coverage and left too much room in the back of the end zone. I can't tell if Bodden was out of position out of fault or if he was trying to bait Henne to make the throw. Bodden might have been forcing Henne to make a perfect throw, and if he didn't Bodden could have jumped the pass and gotten an interception. The Dolphins also attempted a two-point conversion and failed.
Third quarter, 8:04: Jim Nantz mentioned during the broadcast that former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr is in attendance in Miami. My favorite joke about Carr comes from Ohio State and Michigan State fans, who used to say, "You can't spell 'Lloyd' without two L's."
Third quarter, 8:46: The Pats went three-and-out and are still looking for their initial first down of the second half. Of course, they've got that long touchdown, but the Patriots have struggled with offensive fluidity in the second half on the road this season. Let's see if they can buck that trend against Miami.
Patriots 21, Dolphins 13. Third quarter, 10:00: Leigh Bodden got caught in no-man's land on the Dolphins' third-and-goal play but made up for the confusion with a nice play. It looked like Bodden was supposed to stick with wide receiver Greg Camarillo but got drawn toward the line of scrimmage when the play broke down and Chad Henne looked as though he was going to run out of the pocket. Camarillo was wide open in the end zone, but when Henne delivered the pass, Bodden got his hands up and deflected the ball to save a touchdown. Dan Carpenter kicked a 24-yard field goal on the next play.
Third quarter, 10:54: I like Jonathan Wilhite's potential as a cornerback in this league, and I raved about him throughout training camp. But he's getting victimized way too much, and he just got turned around down the field and had to take a pass interference penalty to make sure Brian Hartline didn't record a touchdown reception. It was a 37-yard penalty that set up the Dolphins at the New England 9-yard line.
Patriots 21, Dolphins 10. Third quarter, 12:02: Some plays just make you say "wow." Sam Aiken, who is so valuable as the Patriots' special teams captain that his playing time is limited on offense, made his best Randy Moss impression on an 81-yard touchdown. Tom Brady was pressured and lobbed a pass toward the right sideline in Aiken's direction. Aiken reached over the head of cornerback Sean Smith to make a spectacular catch and then followed it by breaking a tackle and racing toward the end zone. As another reward for Aiken, he helped Brady eclipse 30,000 career passing yards on the play.
Third quarter, 12:53: The Dolphins went three-and-out thanks in large part to Patriots rookie defensive lineman Myron Pryor, who exploded through the line and blew up Lex Hilliard for a one-yard loss on third-and-1. Pryor doesn't get a ton of playing time, but he's shown some grit for New England. He's short and quiet, but there is one word that always comes to mind when I see him play — powerful.
Third quarter, 14:54: Miami has the ball at its own 24-yard line with its first chance to take the lead all game. This is a statement drive here for both sides.
Halftime: The Patriots' defense has to step up in the second half, as the Dolphins will take possession to open the third quarter. Aside from Chad Henne's wild overthrow midway through the second quarter, he's been on point in this game and has gotten the better of the New England defense. He's completed 19-of-26 passes for 205 yards, one touchdown and one pick. Tom Brady, meanwhile, is 13 of 14 for 196 yards and one touchdown. This thing is shaping up to be a lot closer than the Patriots should have allowed it to be.
Patriots 14, Dolphins 10. Second quarter, 0:01: The blitzing hasn't worked, so the Patriots backed off defensively and Chad Henne still picked them apart. Dan Carpenter closed out an 11-play, 83-yard drive with a 29-yard field goal to give Miami 10 consecutive points before the half. We've seen this plenty of times before. The Patriots have started out strong and taken an early lead in all of their road games before relinquishing control. It's happening again in Miami.
Second quarter, 1:55: The Patriots turned it over on downs and let the Dolphins off the hook deep in Miami's territory. Bill Belichick kept the offense on the field on fourth-and-1 inside the 10-yard line, and Sammy Morris got held up at the line on a fullback dive. The Patriots should have taken the points and reclaimed a bit of their momentum, but the Dolphins take over trailing 14-7.
Second quarter, 5:11: Brandon Meriweather cherry-picked his fourth interception of the season, taking advantage of an errant throw by Chad Henne, who made his first mistake of the game. After the play, the referees fulfilled their weekly bounty on Vince Wilfork and flagged him for a personal foul on Henne.
Second quarter, 6:24: Awful job of tackling by Jonathan Wilhite and Jerod Mayo on the Dolphins' third-and-four that had no business picking up a first down. Davone Bess broke free and scooted ahead to move the chains. Until this point, the Patriots were tackling well in this game.
Second quarter, 8:34: Bill Belichick made a shocking decision to punt it away when the Patriots had a fourth-and-inches from their own 44-yard line. That seemed completely out of character by Belichick, who is always taking the aggressive approach in those situations. I don't like the call. The Patriots have been controlling the line of scrimmage, and they shouldn't have had a problem picking up the first down.
Patriots 14, Dolphins 7. Second quarter, 11:03: That wasn't a very good showing by the Patriots' defense, which blitzed on almost every play during Miami's last possession but couldn't even sniff a sack. Chad Henne completed 5-of-8 passes for 77 yards on the drive, and he capped it off with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Davone Bess.
Second quarter, 14:47: Perfect execution in kickoff coverage for the Patriots, who stayed in their lanes to tackle Ted Ginn at the Miami 12-yard line. Ginn, who is one of the best returners in the league, will out-run just about anyone on the field, so discipline in lane assignments is of the utmost importance against the Dolphins.
Patriots 14, Dolphins 0. Second quarter, 14:56: Kevin Faulk scampered into the end zone from six yards out to extend the Patriots' lead. It was a draw play with Tom Brady in the shotgun, and Faulk followed great blocking by center Dan Koppen and guards Stephen Neal and Dan Connolly.
End of first quarter: The Patriots lead 7-0 and are going in for another score. They've got a second-and-goal coming up on the other side of the break. It was a strong first quarter from the Patriots, who aren't showing any effects of a hangover after the Bayou beatdown.
First quarter, 3:00: CBS announcers Jim Nantz and Phil Simms just keyed on a great point about the Patriots' offense. Tom Brady has completed his first six passes, and they've gone to five different receivers. Too many times this season, the Patriots have been too reliant on Randy Moss and Wes Welker, and the offense looks very efficient Sunday with the noticeable balance.
First quarter, 4:45: Miami defensive players are eying Laurence Maroney all the way to the ground. They're certainly aware of his recent fumbling issues.
First quarter, 6:41: I think we just saw why Pat White isn't getting much playing time. The Miami backup quarterback unsuccessfully ran an option, and he sent a wild pitch in the direction of Ricky Williams that turned into a 15-yard loss. The Pats are taking over after Miami's punt. The Dolphins will need to get creative to beat the Patriots on Sunday, and that means they'll need White to do some positive things. After that debacle, though, I'm not sure he deserves to see the field again.
First quarter, 9:00: Jonathan Wilhite got beat again for a first down. The second-year cornerback was in the area but couldn't make the play, and Davone Bess made the catch and run to move the sticks. Wilhite is having himself a tough month.
In other news, Tom Brady has returned to the sideline. The Patriots said he has an arm injury, and it looks like he'll be back on the field for the next offensive series.
Patriots 7, Dolphins 0. First quarter, 11:38: Good and bad news for the Patriots. Tom Brady might have just delivered his best throw of the season to hit Randy Moss for a 58-yard touchdown, but Brady got smoked after the throw by Joey Porter and Randy Starks. Brady immediately got up and ran straight into the locker room. We know he's been bothered by a finger injury, but the hit could have caused a new injury.
The Patriots ran a fake end-around to set up Moss downfield, and Dolphins safety Gibril Wilson did an absolutely horrendous job in coverage. Wilson got turned the wrong way and allowed Moss to beat the double coverage and get open down the field. If you're a safety helping out in double coverage, that's the biggest mistake you can make.
First quarter, 14:55: Interesting to see Darius Butler return the game's opening kickoff. Butler definitely has some open-field skills, and despite a poor return, he could be fun to watch in that role. The Patriots really need a spark with their kickoff returns this season.
First quarter, 15:00: The Dolphins won the toss and elected to defer. The Patriots open with the ball.
12:54 p.m.: The Patriots are wearing their throwbacks for the fourth and final time this season. Because the Dolphins choose to wear white at home, the Patriots will rock the red uniforms. They're 2-0 in red this season.
12:12 p.m.: Here's a little more info regarding the Patriots' inactive list. Fred Taylor is missing his eighth consecutive game with an ankle injury. Julian Edelman is missing his second consecutive game with a forearm injury, and it's the fifth game he has missed this season. The rookie has missed four of the last six games with the forearm issue.
Shawn Springs is missing his fourth straight game with a knee injury, but he hasn't missed any practice time. Reading between the lines, he's a healthy scratch. Bret Lockett is missing his first game with a groin injury, and it's the second game he has missed this season. Sebastian Vollmer is missing his second consecutive game after suffering a concussion. Ron Brace is missing his second straight with an ankle injury, and it's the sixth time this season he has been inactive. Terrence Wheatley is missing his seventh game of the season. This is the fifth time he has been a healthy scratch. Stephen Neal is missing his first game with an ankle injury. He's inactive for the second time this season, having missed the Jets game in Week 11 with a head injury.
Additionally, linebacker Junior Seau, cornerback Kyle Arrington and guard Rich Ohrnberger are all active after missing last week's game as healthy scratches.
12:04 p.m.: The Patriots have released their inactive list, and it's highlighted by the injuries of left tackle Sebastian Vollmer (head) and right guard Stephen Neal (ankle). This likely means Matt Light will start at left tackle for the second consecutive game, and Dan Connolly should start at right guard.
Also, running back Fred Taylor (ankle), wide receiver Julian Edelman (forearm), defensive back Shawn Springs (knee), safety Bret Lockett (groin), nose tackle Ron Brace (ankle) and cornerback Terrence Wheatley (not on injury list) will not play Sunday against the Dolphins. I'll provide a little more detail in a few minutes.
9:14 a.m.: It seems as though the Dolphins could litter their roster with junior varsity players and still give the Patriots a difficult time during games played in Miami. It’s the Patriots’ version of the Bermuda Triangle, and they’re making their annual trip to South Beach on Sunday.
New England is again trying to bounce back from a stinging defeat, and the Dolphins are simply searching for their identity, which has been a difficult chore for the team that has been shaken by so many injuries.
With a victory Sunday, the Patriots could potentially wrap up the AFC East title next week, but a loss would turn the final month into an intense sprint to the finish line. There’s so much at stake, so make sure you stick with NESN.com’s live blog throughout the day.