Patriots vs. Dolphins score, takeaways: Raheem Mostert runs wild as Miami holds off New England comeback bid

It wasn’t quite the fireworks show they put on last week, and it didn’t have to be. The Miami Dolphins needed only 24 points — and a favorable booth review of a pivotal Patriots first down in the final minute on a crazy lateral play — to emerge victorious against the division rival New England Patriots, staying unbeaten on the young season with a 24-17 victory. 

The Dolphins were fresh off piling up a league-high 536 yards in Week 1 against the Chargers, and while their overall output was more muted here, they remained extremely efficient: the Dolphins averaged 6.6 yards per play against a New England defense that last week held the Philadelphia Eagles to one of their worst offensive performances in recent seasons, and they scored touchdowns on two of their three red zone opportunities. 

With the Patriots largely playing to take away the deep passing game that so flummoxed the Chargers a week ago, the Dolphins were mostly content to move the sticks with short and intermediate throws, and the run game. Tyreek Hill didn’t come close to matching his 11 catches for 215 yards and two touchdowns, but it didn’t much matter. Miami had six players catch multiple passes, with five of them having a gain of at least 15 yards on one of those grabs. They were also effective on the ground, with Raheem Mostert rushing 18 times for 121 yards and two touchdowns, the latter of which was a 43-yard burst that essentially put the game away in the fourth quarter. 

And despite playing without star edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, Miami’s defense was also a big factor in the win. Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott struggled badly on the ground (20 carries for 63 yards combined), while Bradley Chubb forced an early fumble and Xavien Howard picked off Mac Jones at the tail end of a third-quarter drive where the Patriots had a chance to cut into Miami’s lead. 

Miami’s miscues on special teams left the door open for the Patriots to stage a late comeback, but that bid ultimately fell short. 

Why the Dolphins won

They made splash plays and the Patriots mostly didn’t. Jaylen Waddle had a 32-yard catch. Raheem Mostert had a 43-yard run. River Cracraft caught a pass for 22 yards. They had five different receivers with at least one catch that gained more yards than the Patriots’ longest gain of the night. On defense, Xavien Howard picked off Mac Jones. Bradley Chubb forced a fumble by Patriots rookie Demario Douglas. Chubb, Andrew Van Ginkel, Christian Wilkins, and David Long all picked up sacks. On a night where big plays were hard to come by, the Dolphins made most of them. 

Why the Patriots lost

They made a few big mistakes (the aforementioned fumble and interception, plus a crucial personal foul that extended a late Miami drive and allowed the Dolphins to run more time off the clock), and the offense didn’t capitalize on the opportunities the defense created for them. The Pats did not score after their defense blocked a field goal, and did not score after the defense intercepted Tua Tagovailoa. Miami responded to the Patriots’ first turnover with a long touchdown drive. That type of thing can make the difference in a close game. Oh, and the injuries in the secondary left Bill Belichick and Co. shorthanded against an explosive passing offense, which meant they had to play a more conservative style of defense than they might have tried had they had everyone available. 

Turning point

New England held Miami’s offense mostly in check through the first quarter. Some of that, of course, was because the Dolphins only ran one drive during the first quarter. But even that drive was a bit of a slog, with the Dolphins needing 13 plays to go 81 yards and getting only a field goal out of it. 

The Pats then were driving on Miami’s defense with a chance to tie the game or take the lead, but Bradley Chubb had other ideas. 

That’s just a terrific play by a terrific player, and instead of tying the game or taking the lead, the Patriots would go down 10-0 by the end of Miami’s next drive, which saw Raheem Mostert run for an 8-yard touchdown. 

Highlight play

In all my years of watching football, I have never seen anything like this. 

All night on the NBC broadcast, Cris Collinsworth kept talking about how much the Dolphins’ use of motion would create free releases for the wide receivers and mess with the Patriots’ defensive rules. On a special teams play, the Pats gave the Dolphins a taste of their own medicine.  

Sending Brenden Schooler in motion just before the snap gave him a running head start in his effort to block Jason Sanders’ kick — which is exactly what he did. (This is now back-to-back weeks with a blocked field goal on “Sunday Night Football.” Maybe there’s something in the water.) Unfortunately for the Patriots, the ensuing drive ended with Mac Jones throwing an interception. But it was still pretty cool. 

What’s next

The Dolphins are 2-0 and in first place in the AFC East. Next week in their home opener, they host the Denver Broncos, who have lost their first two games by a combined three points. The Patriots, meanwhile, are 0-2 for the first time since 2001. They go on the road for the first time next week, and they’ll take on the New York Jets.