New England Patriots Can't Keep Up In Loss To Miami Dolphins

Last week's win over the Buffalo Bills was a great moment for the struggling New England Patriots, but Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins brought them back to unfortunate reality.

The Patriots kept it close at points, but were ultimately no match for their division rivals in a 31-17 loss.

New England managed to contain Miami's high-powered offense in the team's previous meeting on Sept. 17 in Foxboro, but that was back when they still had Matt Judon and Christian Gonzalez. Without them this time around, the Patriots' defense couldn't hold up against Tua Tagovailoa and co.

It didn't start that way, though, as Kyle Dugger picked off a Tagovailoa pass in the first quarter to set the Patriots up for an early touchdown and the first points of the game. After that, though, Miami's offense got into gear and never looked back. The Dolphins finished the game with 393 yards and 24 first downs, moving the ball at will for large chunks of the game.

The Patriots' offense, meanwhile, dealt with many of the same issues as it had all season. Aside from the aforementioned touchdown where they were gifted a short field, the Patriots struggled to move the ball consistently and only found the end zone one more time.

Mac Jones completed 19 of 29 passes for 161 yards, two touchdowns and an interception that ended a promising drive just before halftime. Kendrick Bourne and JuJu Smith-Schuster both had receiving touchdowns, with the latter scoring his first touchdown in a Patriots uniform. Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott combined for 75 rushing yards on 17 carries.

On the other side, Tagovailoa completed 30 of 45 passes for 324 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill both had over 100 yards and a touchdown through the air.

Next up, the Patriots will look to rebound once again as they host the Washington Commanders on Nov. 5.