The Patriots beat the Dolphins 21-11 all the way back in Week 1, but it was a different story Sunday as the Dolphins beat the Patriots 22-12, eliminating New England from playoff contention.
With the loss, the Patriots fell to 6-8 on the year, while the Dolphins improved to 9-5.
Speaking to Albert Breer of MMQB, former Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy said the Dolphins used that Week 1 game as extra motivation Sunday.
"They kind of schemed us up the first time,” he said. “I’m going to keep it real. They thought everything was good … if that makes sense. They were all laughing and joking. We remembered that, and we’re in a different situation than they were. They were basically already eliminated. We just needed to basically finish it, and we did that today.
“I think the honeymoon’s over. We got the job done.”
Clearly, it was on the mind's of the Dolphins.
“I think it’s been 99 days,” Van Noy said.
Miami will make the postseason with wins in its final two games of the season, while the Patriots will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2008.