The Patriots only have themselves to blame for what happened Sunday night in Miami, but they still were victimized by some rough officiating at Hard Rock Stadium.
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa essentially put the game away with an 11-yard scramble that came with 1:56 remaining and Miami nursing a three-point fourth-quarter lead. Had New England’s pass rush gotten home on Tagovailoa, the Patriots would’ve gotten the ball back with a chance to drive for either a game-tying field goal or a game-winning touchdown. Instead, New England’s defense once again came up short in a crucial scenario.
… Or did it?
Upon further review, linebacker Matthew Judon clearly was held on the play. He took to Twitter after the 33-24 defeat to share his simple-but-clear reaction.
Take a look:
Of course, that wasn’t the only officiating controversy to emerge from Sunday’s game.
Brandon Bolden was called for a bogus first-quarter unnecessary roughness penalty which enabled the Dolphins to continue a drive that concluded with a field goal. The Patriots running back/special teamer took issue with the call during his postgame press conference.
Ultimately, Judon, Bolden and the rest of the Patriots can’t spend any time dwelling on the officiating from Sunday’s loss. They must turn the page and find a way to correct their many issues before hitting the road for the playoffs.
