New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins Recap

Patriots get pounded at home by Dolphins

Offense: New England suffered a shocking defeat at home to Miami, losing 38-13 and being completely outplayed in all aspects of the game. The offense could not manage a first half touchdown and the team trailed 21-6 at halftime. In the second half, things continued to get worse as stalled drives and punts set up good field position for the Dolphins to add to their lead. Out of 11 possessions, New England scored just one touchdown and turned the ball over three times. Cassel, who appeared to be improving, was out of rhythm the entire game. He did not have many opportunities since receivers were rarely open and he was under pressure from the Dolphins pass rushers on the majority of plays. New England only gained 216 yards and 14 first downs. Late in the fourth quarter, backup Kevin O'Connell was inserted to get playing experience. This home loss was the worst margin of defeat in seven years at Gillete Stadium and the biggest defeat of a team who had the longest winning streak in the league. "We have to go out and regroup. It is a learning situation for me playing from behind", said Cassel. He completed 19 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown. Wes Welker and Jabar Gaffney combined for 12 receptions and 106 yards. The rushing game struggled to establish itself as five Patriots runningbacks had a total of 20 carries for 79 yards. Going into their bye week, the Patriots have a lot to improve on, with pass protection and gaining yards after the catch being two areas that the team had difficulties in after the loss. Receiver Troy Brown retired after spending fifteen seasons with the Patriots, being the leader in catches and second in total yards. He did not play this season and was active in one game last year.

Defense:Despite all of the struggles in the passing game, the lack of a consistent defense was a lot more surprising, considering the Dolphins were winless coming into the game and were one of the worst offenses in the league. The rush defense was absolutely terrible, allowing 216 yards on 36 attempts, an average of 6 yards per attempt. Runningback Ronnie Brown had 113 yards and Ricky Williams had 98 yards. New England's defensive line failed to get any penetration and it set up huge gaps for both of the Dolphins backs. Miami lined up in an option formation on several plays with Ronnie Brown at quarterback taking direct snaps, and that was just one of the plays that fooled the Patriots. The rushing attack was elusive at the line of scrimmage and once a ballcarrier got past the linebackers, they were gone for big plays. Miami was equally effective in the passing game, with the rushing setting up open receivers down the field. Four Dolphins receivers had multiple catches and the team had a total of 245 receiving yards. Miami also completed 18 of 21 passes and faced just nine third downs in the game. The secondary was out of position on many passing plays and appeared to be confused by the unique plays run by the Dolphins. Once the defense allowed quick touchdowns in the first half, things got worse as they were forced to play from behind and became tired from being on the field for so long. In reference to Miami's option formation and the overall game Rondey Harrison said," I don't know why we couldn't stop that play. They just came in and beat our butts. You've got a bitter taste in your mouth. The only way to get rid of that bitterness is to come in and work hard. You get bitter and you get better."

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Special Teams: Stephen Gostkowski made both field goal attempts and one extra point attempt. Chris Hanson punted three times for an average of 40 yards. Kevin Faulk returned two punts for an average of 17 yards. Ellis Hobbs was a bright spot for the team with six kickoff returns for an average of 40 yards, his 237 kick return yards was a team record. Kevin Faulk returned one kickoff for 11 yards.

By Chad Fukuoka
ProFootball-fans.com New England Patriots Correspondent