Patriots Downed By Dolphins Behind 2nd Half Surge
Sunday, September 07, 2014
On a hot, muggy day in South Florida, the Miami Dolphins surprised the NFL and took down the New England Patriots 33-20. The Dolphins came back from a 20-10 halftime deficit – dominating the Patriots in the 2nd half on their way to the win.
The Patriots offense took the field first but was unable to move the ball on the Miami defense, going three-and-out. Punter Ryan took the field for the first time in 2014, ending in a disastrous blocked punt by Miami. Chris McCain blocked the punt, allowing the Dolphins to recover at the Patriots 15 yard line.
Just four plays later, Ryan Tannehill found Lamar Miller for the first Dolphins touchdown of the season. The four-yard score came when Miller snuck out of the backfield and past Rob Ninkovich before pulling in the Tannehill pass to make it 7-0 Dolphins.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAlthough the offense looked shaky on the first drive, they could not have looked much better on their second drive. The drive went 80 yards over 13 plays before Shane Vereen capped the drive for the Patriots first score of the season. The drive started with newly acquired tight end Tim Wright grabbing his first catch in a Patriots uniform. It also featured Rob Gronkowski grabbing his first catch since tearing his ACL in 2013, and promptly dragging a defender to get the first down.
Tom Brady was a perfect 6-6 on the drive for 46 yards. The drive took 6:36 and tied the game 7-7.
Just three plays later the Patriots’ defense flexed their muscles as Jamie Collins made a huge defensive stop. Collins made a monster hit on Mike Wallace to force a fumble, which was recovered by Jerod Mayo.
The Patriots offense was unable to capitalize on the short field, however, only getting a 47-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski. With the field goal the Patriots took their first lead of 2014, 10-7.
The Patriots defense once again forced a turnover on the next Dolphins possession. Ryan Tannehill was looking to find Mike Wallace down the middle of the field but was pressured by Dont’a Hightower. The pressure forced an underthrow by Tannehill which was intercepted by Alfonzo Dennard.
The Patriots offense took advantage of this turnover, driving 94-yards on 11 plays before Tom Brady found Rob Gronkowski on a six-yard touchdown. It was the first touchdown for Gronkowski since tearing his ACL during the 2013 season. The 11-play drive was kept alive on an early 3-and-10 run by Shane Vereen from the Patriots six yard line. Vereen spun past two Miami defenders to keep the drive alive.
The Patriots defense was not done forcing turnovers, however. The next Dolphins possession, Logan Ryan put a perfect hit on Lamar Miller, knocking the ball free and forcing the third-straight Dolphins turnover. Darrelle Revis recovered the fumble for the Patriots. The Patriots offense was unable to take advantage of the turnover, but it gave the Patriots a plus-three turnover differential in the half.
The Dolphins were able to rebound on their next drive, getting a 38-yard Caleb Sturgis field goal. The drive was highlighted by multiple Patriots penalties that kept the drive alive. The Dolphins had a great chance at the end zone on a long pass from Ryan Tannehill to Mike Wallace, but Wallace was unable to stay in bounds. Wallace was behind Darrelle Revis on the play, after defeating him with an out-and-up double move.
The Patriots got the ball back before the half, but were unable to get into the end zone and settled for a 45-yard Stephen Gostkowski field goal to make the score 20-10, Patriots, at halftime. The Patriots finished the half with 248 total yards on offense while the defense held Miami to just 138 yards.
Miami got the ball to start the 2nd half and were able to start with a scoring drive. The Dolphins went 65 yards on eight plays before Caleb Sturgis hit a 24-yard field goal to cut the Patriots lead to 20-13.
The Dolphins defense then started to show their might, despite being down two linebackers. Cameron Wake got around the edge on Michael Hoomanawanui and got to tom Brady, stripping the ball on a sack. The Dolphins used the short field and tied the game on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Tannehill to Mike Wallace.
The Dolphins kept the momentum going, forcing the Patriots offense to stall again. From there, the Dolphins drove inside the Patriots’ 10 yard line, but only came away with a field goal to make the score 23-20 Dolphins.
The Dolphins and Patriots traded failed possessions until late in the 4th Quarter when Knowshon Moreno gave the Dolphins a 10-point lead. Moreno dove into the end zone on a 4-yard run. Moreno was hit by Vince Wilfork at the 8 yard line on the play, but Wilfork was unable to bring him down and the Dolphins took the 30-20 lead.
The Dolphins then forced a 4-and-out by the Patriots, getting a strip-sack from Cameron Wake to give the Dolphins great position. The Dolphins were not able to get into the end zone, but added another Caleb Sturgis field goal to make the score 33-20 Dolphins.
The Patriots were unable to crack the Miami defense, falling 33-20. It was the first season-opening loss for the Patriots since a 31-0 loss to the Buffalo Bills to start the 2003 season. The Patriots will travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings next Sunday.