Pats Cast Episode 29: Patriots Lose to the Dolphins, Officially Miss the Playoffs

Tua Tagovailoa was a high-efficiency, short-distance passer on Sunday, also chipping in with two rushing touchdowns. (Photo: Allen Eyestone: The Palm Beach Post)

New England entered this game with a chance at a playoff berth, but the margin for error was razor thin – winning their last three games was virtually a requirement.

For awhile, it looked like the Patriots' postseason hopes would survive for another week. They led the Dolphins 6-0 at halftime and 9-7 through three quarters. But in the final 15 minutes, Miami gashed them in the running game, pulling away for a 22-12 victory.

How did the Patriots manage to so easily squander a game that they seemed to somewhat control until the fourth quarter – not to mention a must-win game? And what does this loss mean?

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Patriots on Offense

Cam Newton had a somewhat productive, somewhat nondescript game. He completed 17 of his 27 passes, accruing 207 yards through the air and 38 on the ground. He didn't turn the ball over, but he did have a fumble late in the second quarter that was nearly returned for a touchdown, except Christian Wilkins grazed the ball with his leg – with his other foot out of bounds – as Xavien Howard was recovering it.

The running game wasn't spectacular, either. However, with Damien Harris inactive, Sony Michel made his case for more carries, picking up 74 yards on 10 attempts and also adding an eight-yard reception. James White and J.J. Taylor only mustered five yards on three carries, though, although White chipped in 52 yards through the air.

Jakobi Meyers had a big day (seven catches for 111 yards), but no one else – especially excluding White – did. Damiere Byrd was the next-most productive, with three catches for 24 yards. N'Keal Harry and Dalton Keene each caught one of their two targets, and Jakob Johnson and Devin Asiasi each went 0-for-1. Harry looked fairly smooth, though, and Newton overthrew Keene on what would've been a long touchdown pass.

The offensive line held up decently, although Newton was sacked three times. Jeff Howe (The Athletic) charted Joe Thuney and Michael Onwenu as unscathed, Justin Herron and Shaq Mason with one sack allowed, and David Andrews with a quarterback hit and two pressures. Helping the running game pick up 5.3 yards per carry without its starter also merits recognition, especially against a good defense.

Patriots on Defense

New England's front four didn't have much success against Miami's offensive line, and it impacted the running game substantially. As is typically the case when teams run the ball a lot, it was a light game for Chase Winovich and Josh Uche. Adam Butler had the best showing of the bunch, but they struggled as a whole.

The linebackers were only slightly better. Adrian Phillips (sack, seven tackles and one catch allowed), Terez Hall (13 tackles) and Kyle Dugger (two run stuffs and a pass breakup) were moderately productive, and Ja'Whaun Bentley left early due to injury, but the unit struggled on a play-to-play basis to stop the run. This lopsided ledger in the stat sheet against a team at the bottom of the league in yards per attempt surely wasn't what they had in mind.

The secondary limited damage through the air, but Tua Tagovailoa still had his way in terms of completion percentage (20-of-26 for 145 yards and no touchdowns). J.C. Jackson came up with his eighth interception of the season, but Stephon Gilmore left early, giving way to Jason McCourty.

Special Teams

Not that it ultimately made a difference, but the Patriots won this aspect of the game. Whereas Jason Sanders missed his lone field goal attempt (albeit from 52 yards), Nick Folk converted on all four of his attempts. The punters matched each other blow for blow, and Gunner Olszewski was average in the punt return game (eight yards per attempt), whereas Miami's kickoff returners were not (15 yards per runback). The other units were untested throughout the game.

What Comes Next?

The Patriots have a Monday night clash with the Bills before ending the season with a game against the helpless Jets – although they won their first game of the season on Sunday. Frankly, the game results only slightly matter, and probably more in terms of draft position than anything else.

So what does matter? Player development. Sure, young players and backups get practice reps, but nothing replaces snaps on the field during a game. Stephon Gilmore's injury is almost a blessing in disguise, in that regard, although the fact that it isn't severe is also important.

This likely becomes an excuse to get Joejuan Williams onto the field a bit and play Kyle Dugger more in pass coverage, as well as give J.C. Jackson some more reps against true No. 1 wide receivers – like Round 2 against Stefon Diggs.

We'll kick the Jarrett Stidham idea down the road for one more week since Buffalo on Monday night is a tough task, but Week 17 should at least be on the table.

These topics can be discussed more later in the week and further down the road. For now, what's clear is that the fight toward what is typically the Patriots' standard is officially over, at least for this season.