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This matchup at Gillette Stadium was arguably the most unappealing game of Week 5. The banged-up New England Patriots faced off against the Miami Dolphins without Tua Tagovailoa or Skylar Thompson. Since the Dolphins looked terrible in their 31-12 loss to the Titans on Monday Night Football, it looked like a winnable game for the Patriots.
Even though New England looked to have the slight upper hand given Miami’s offensive woes, they had even more of their own. A three-yard touchdown run by Dolphins fullback Alec Ingold with just over four minutes to go in the fourth quarter was the final score from either team. Miami ended up on top 15-10 against the sputtering Patriots.
Another Atrocious Offensive Performance
The Patriots’ offense continues to reach new lows. In the first half, they recorded just 98 total yards. Rhamondre Stevenson had a 33-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter but New England didn’t do much on the ground besides that. No Pats wide receiver has established a good connection with Jacoby Brissett this season. This game was no different with no receiver recording more than 60 yards. DeMario Douglas was the leading receiver with six receptions for 59 yards. Rookie Ja’Lynn Polk was targeted six times by Brissett but recorded just one catch for 13 yards.
Kendrick Bourne surprisingly only had one catch for six yards in this game. It was his first game since recovering from a torn ACL last season but one catch seems extremely low for him. For the rushing attack, Stevenson had a solid game, rushing 12 times for 89 yards and one touchdown. He exited the game briefly in the fourth quarter after hitting his helmet on his calf but he returned. Despite the terrible offense, this game wasn’t all bad. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez continues to lock down every team’s number-one wide receiver. Gonzalez held Tyreek Hill to six receptions for 69 yards and no touchdowns.
Rough End For The Patriots
The playcalling was awful in the drive where Stevenson returned to the field. The Patriots had a first down at the Miami 12-yard-line with 1:12 left in the game and three timeouts. They ran four straight pass plays even though they were averaging 7.9 yards per carry. On one of these pass plays, it was a 12-yard touchdown catch by Ja’Lynn Polk. Upon further review, Polk didn’t have both feet down inbounds. Brissett threw the next ball away. On fourth and ten, it was an incomplete pass to Hunter Henry. Every play is critical when it’s close late in the game, and when offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt calls bone-headed plays, that’s when games are lost.
After this drive, the Dolphins punted and the Patriots got the ball back with 29 seconds and no timeouts. Brissett did a good job of throwing balls more than 10 yards downfield for once, completing a 21-yard pass to Kayshon Boutte. On a drawn-out next play, Brissett threw a 25-yard pass to Henry. The problem with this play was that it was in the middle of the field with five seconds to go. Brissett should have been targeting receivers that were near the sidelines so that the clock could be stopped and one last play could be run. But the Patriots continue to be an incompetent offensive team and a catch over the middle at the Dolphins’ 10-yard line is how New England’s game ended.
Jacoby Brissett Is Not The Answer
Not looking for a receiver near the sidelines at the end of games is the type of low-IQ play that this team can’t have. When the Patriots are in close games, their execution and attention to detail need to be sharp. Jacoby Brissett just doesn’t have that. How many times can this guy throw for less than 200 yards and no touchdowns before Jerod Mayo looks elsewhere? Brissett has been given a shot to show Maye that he is a seasoned veteran, but he has failed. If the Patriots want to have a bigger chance at winning games, they need to start Drake Maye.
The appalling offensive line play and injury concerns for Maye have been made very clear by Patriots followers. I understand them but the offensive line is not magically going to get better. And with the injury concerns, the same thing could be said for any other player at any point in a game. Injuries are a part of football, and being hesitant to put a guy in because you’re worried about that is idiotic. I can almost guarantee you Maye can not be worse than what we’ve been seeing on the field these past five weeks. This is the second game recap in a row where I have said that Drake Maye should be starting. How many more times will I plead for this before it happens?
In my Patriots game predictions article, I predicted correctly that the Dolphins would win this game. This puts me at 4-1 with Patriots predictions this season.
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