FOXBORO, Mass. — Dolphins star wide receiver Tyreek Hill wished he had a pivotal play back in Miami’s 23-21 loss to the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
With the Dolphins searching for the go-ahead score early in the fourth quarter, third-string quarterback Skylar Thompson, who was called upon after Teddy Bridgewater exited due to a hand injury late in the third quarter, looked Hill’s way in New England territory.
With the ball thrown behind him along the sideline, the usually sure-handed Hill had the pass bounce off his mitts and into the arms of Patriots corner Jonathan Jones, who corralled the carom and got both feet down in time to record the interception.
Hill, who was held to four receptions for 55 yards, put the blame on himself for the play ending up the way it did.
“You know what, I’m going to take that,” Hill said. “They pay me a lot of money to make those plays. So, I just got to make the play for my guy Skylar. Doesn’t matter where it’s at. I should be able to make that play.”
Thompson, a 2022 seventh-round draft pick by the Dolphins, didn’t see it the way Hill did, and tried to shoulder the responsibility for a second straight Miami drive ending with an interception.
“Just missed the throw. Was trying to anticipate Tyreek on an out cut and missed it inside. One hundred percent my fault and just missed,” Thompson said. “Those are the worst ones because they’re in your control, in my control. But I’m going to own it, and I’m going to come back to work tomorrow and be ready to go. Just got to have a short-term memory playing this position, and that’s something that I’ve got to do.”
While the Patriots didn’t convert the turnover into any points, the Dolphins struggled to move the ball on their next two drives until scoring with 1:28 left.
But it was the repeated miscues from Miami — they lost the turnover battle, 2-0 — that now leaves it on the outside of the playoff picture while opening the door a little more for the Patriots heading into the final week of the regular season.
