MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- At the end of the day, the Patriots just aren't nearly as good as the Dolphins.
That much was clear again Sunday afternoon when Miami earned a 31-17 victory over New England at Hard Rock Stadium. Tua Tagovailoa now is 6-0 in his career against Bill Belichick.
The Patriots actually scored first, with Mac Jones following up a Kyle Dugger interception by connecting with Kendrick Bourne on a 24-yard touchdown. But the Dolphins answered with a six-play, 75-yard drive that lasted just 3:10 and was capped off by a 42-yard touchdown catch from Tyreek Hill. Miami added a TD in the second quarter to make it 14-7.
The game turned when Jones threw an interception to Jalen Ramsey at the Dolphins 11-yard line with just under two minutes left in the second quarter. Miami kicked a field goal to make it 17-7, and New England couldn't close the gap in the second half.
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The Patriots made it a 24-17 game midway through the fourth when Jones connected with JuJu Smith-Schuster on a three-yard score on fourth down. But the Dolphins responded with a 10-play, 75-yard drive punctuated by a 31-yard TD to Jaylen Waddle.
New England lost Ja'Whan Bentley (hamstring), DeVante Parker (concussion) and Bourne (knee) to injuries.
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Jones completed 19 of 29 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns to go along with the one interception. His top target was Bourne, who caught three balls for 36 yards and a score. Rhamondre Stevenson led the ground attack with 39 yards.
On the other side, Tagovailoa completed 30 of 45 passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns to go along with one pick. Waddle racked up seven catches for 121 yards, with Hill adding eight receptions for 112 yards, putting him over 1,000 for the season.
Overall, the Dolphins posted 390 yards of total offense compared to 218 for the Patriots, who were 1-for-9 on third downs. The first downs were 24-13 in favor of Miami. New England also was flagged for seven penalties, with the Dolphins committing three.
The Patriots dropped to 2-6 with the loss, while the Dolphins improved to 6-2 with the win. New England will host the Washington Commanders next Sunday.
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Here are three studs and three duds from a disappointing performance in Southern Florida:
STUDS
S Kyle Dugger
Probably his best game of the season. Dugger recorded an interception, a sack, a tackle for loss, eight overall tackles and a pass breakup. He also wore the green dot as the defensive play-caller after Ja'Whaun Bentley left due to a hamstring injury. If this winds up being Dugger's last game for New England, it was a great way to go out.
RB Rhamondre Stevenson
The third-year back is starting to look like his old self. Stevenson didn't post huge numbers in this game -- 10 carries for 39 yards -- but he averaged 3.9 yards per carry while running hard and showing great vision. He also had two catches for 11 yards.
This is the kind of play we're used to seeing from Stevenson:
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DT Christian Barmore
His hot streak continues. Barmore was a beast in the last two games, and he finished Week 8 with a sack and five tackles. Finally healthy, the 2021 second-round pick is blossoming into a consistent force on the defensive line.
Honorable mentions: Demario Douglas, Pharaoh Brown, Keion White, Kendrick Bourne, Brenden Schooler
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DUDS
CB J.C. Jackson
He's been iffy since returning to New England, but this was his worst game. Jackson gave up two touchdowns, including the 42-yarder to Hill, and committed a pass-interference penalty on a key third down in the second quarter. Marte Mapu also deserves some blame for Hill's big TD, but Jackson made the biggest error by biting for the end-around fake. You simply can't make these kinds of mistakes when going up against someone like Hill.
Guards
All three -- Cole Strange, Sidy Sow and Atonio Mafi -- had issues, but we're focussing on the first two. Strange and Sow both appeared to be benched for Mafi at different points, and injuries seemingly weren't a factor. The Patriots also struggled with pressure up the middle all day, and the guards played a big hand in it. Everyone talks about the tackles, but New England's guard play hasn't been much better.
QB Mac Jones
Jones wasn't bad, but the complexion of the game changed when he threw the interception to Ramsey. At worst, the Patriots could've been looking at a 14-10 halftime deficit. At best, they could've had a lead. Instead, Miami kicked a field goal and took a 17-7 advantage to the locker room -- and the game basically was over. It was yet another example of Jones getting too sloppy with his footwork and decision-making in the red zone.
Honorable mentions: Cole Strange, Sidy Sow, Ezekiel Elliott, Marte Mapu, Myles Bryant, DeVante Parker, Mike Gesicki, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Jonathan Jones
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Featured image via Sam Navarro/USA TODAY Sports Images
