On Halloween weekend, the Patriots found themselves in a familiar House of Horrors: Miami.
Few places have been less kind to New England over the years, with the Patriots entering Sunday’s game with an 18-43 record in Miami, including a 10-16 mark since 2000.
For the first 32 minutes, it looked like the Patriots were headed for another nightmare in South Florida. They turned in one of their worst halves of the season before opening the second half with another three-and-out, doing little to suggest this trip to Miami would be any different.
Then, everything changed.
New England flipped a switch, scoring 21 unanswered points on three consecutive scoring drives to take control of the game and outscore the Dolphins 21-6.
Here are seven takeaways as the Patriots complete a sweep in their first trip through the AFC East and win consecutive games in Miami for the first time since a three-game stretch from 2010-12. It's just the fourth time in franchise history that New England has won back-to-back road games against the Dolphins in Miami.
The first half was a struggle
Injuries and weather aside, it was a rough first half for the Patriots.
They went into the intermission trailing 13-3.
Offensively, they managed just six first downs and averaged 3.9 yards per play. After opening the game with a field goal, they followed with a fumble, a punt, a missed field goal, and a sack on a three-man rush against a prevent defense on the final play of the half. Maye was under constant pressure and sacked twice.
The Patriots finished with just 98 total yards, their fewest in a first half since Week 17 of the 2024 season against the Chargers (91) and their fewest in any half this season.
Defensively, against a secondary that was fully healthy for the first time since Week 1, Malik Willis picked them apart, completing 12 of 15 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown.
The Patriots also committed five penalties for 36 yards and fumbled twice, losing one, which led directly to a field goal, as they remain without a turnover-free game this season. Efton Chism was responsible for the lost fumble, marking the Patriots' 15th giveaway of the season. They had just 16 all of last season.
It was a difficult first half by just about every measure. But, to their credit, the Patriots didn't let it carry over after halftime, coming out as a completely different team in the second half.
This was an MVP-type game from Drake Maye
Maye entered the game without three of his top wide receiver options: A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, and Mack Hollins. He also lost his top target, Hunter Henry, who entered the game leading the team in receptions (26) and receiving yards (296), to a foot injury early in the second quarter.
On top of that, Maye was without TreVeyon Henderson and playing behind a patchwork offensive line. With a depleted group of weapons around him, he put the team on his back.
Maye completed 16 of 20 pass attempts for 199 yards and two touchdowns. He also added a rushing touchdown on a speed option from the Miami two-yard line. Pressured on 14 of his 27 dropbacks (51.9%), Maye completed five of his seven attempts (71.4%) for 109 yards and two touchdowns, per PFF’s initial charting.
It marked his fifth consecutive game with at least three total touchdowns. He also extended his streak of games with at least two touchdown passes to five, his longest such streak since Tom Brady did it in 2014.
Even in the wet conditions, Maye was perfect on throws of 10 or more yards, completing all five attempts for 150 yards and two touchdowns. That included touchdown passes of 48 yards to DeMario Douglas and 43 yards to Kyle Williams.
Maye also matched a franchise record with his third game this season featuring at least two touchdown passes of 30 or more yards. Steve Grogan (1979 and 1983) and Tom Brady (2007 and 2009) are the only other Patriots quarterbacks to accomplish that feat three times in a season.
Sunday was the first time since 2017 that the Patriots recorded multiple touchdowns of 40 yards.
“You wanna be a great quarterback in the National Football League, there’s not a whole lot of excuses,” Mike Vrabel said. “You go out there, and you find ways to win for your football team. I know that that’s who he is and who he wants to continue to be. He throws to the open guy, controls our offense, and gets guys in the right spots. Being one of the best quarterbacks in the league, that’s what the job description requires.”
If the Patriots are going to survive their rash of injuries, it starts with the quarterback. Week after week, he has met that challenge.
The Patriots’ defensive front was disruptive
The Patriots sacked Malik Willis on three of his first four dropbacks of the game. That set the tone for what was to come.
New England's defensive front dominated the line of scrimmage throughout the afternoon, finishing with five sacks of Willis. Corey Durden and Gabe Jacas accounted for three of them, recording 1.5 apiece. Durden, who turned in his best performance as a pro, also finished with three quarterback hits, two hurries, and two tackles for a loss.
Overall, the Patriots pressured Willis on 15 of his 36 dropbacks (41.7%). He completed just five of 11 pass attempts (45.5%) under pressure for 40 yards, one touchdown, and an interception.
The Patriots were equally effective against the run, limiting Miami to 74 yards on 23 carries (3.2 yards per attempt). The Dolphins had just two rushing attempts of 10 or more yards, both coming from running back Ollie Gordon.
More big gainers on third down
Last week against Chicago, the Bears converted just four of their 12 third-down attempts (33.3%). However, three of those conversions were particularly costly: a 24-yard touchdown pass to Luther Burden on a screen on third-and-17 in the second quarter, a 21-yard completion to Rome Odunze on third-and-11 in the fourth quarter, and another 21-yard completion to Odunze on third-and-9 late in the game.
The Patriots had similar issues limiting big plays on third down Sunday, as Miami converted seven of its 14 attempts (50%).
The Dolphins picked up 19 yards on a third-and-8 completion to tight end Greg Dulcich, gained 23 yards on a third-and-4 following an eight-yard completion to wide receiver Jalen Tolbert and an unnecessary roughness penalty on linebacker Christian Elliss, and picked up 11 yards on a third-and-3 carry by Ollie Gordon.
Rhamondre Stevenson was big for a short-handed offense
For stretches of this game, Rhamondre Stevenson was the offense. With the injuries the Patriots are dealing with, they needed that kind of production from him.
Stevenson carried the ball 18 times for 77 yards (4.3 yards per carry) and added two catches for six yards. He also recovered Miami's onside kick late in the game and delivered a key run up the middle on third-and-five with 1:51 remaining, converting for a first down and allowing the Patriots to run out the clock.
Stevenson also joined Sam Cunningham (5,453), Jim Nance (5,323), and Tony Collins (4,647) as the only players in Patriots history to reach 4,000 career rushing yards.
It was another strong performance from the sixth-year back, who has been a huge part of this offense over the last couple of weeks.
Ben Brown replaces a struggling Walter Rouse
Walter Rouse got the start at right guard for the second straight game but struggled.
According to PFF's initial charting, the 25-year-old, whom the Patriots acquired via trade in August, allowed two pressures, a hurry, and a sack on 15 pass-blocking snaps in the first half.
He was replaced by veteran Ben Brown, who allowed one pressure and one hurry on 15 pass-blocking snaps in the second half.
Based on their respective performances, it would be fair to expect Brown to take over at right guard moving forward, at least until the Patriots get healthier or make an addition. Brown has some experience at the position, having played 331 snaps for New England last season and 667 in 2024.
Greg Van Roten is also eligible to return from IR and could provide another option if healthy.
Will there be some kickers in town this week?
Kicker Andy Borregales finished 1-for-2 on the day, making a 34-yard field goal in the first quarter before missing wide right from 40 yards in the second.
The second-year kicker converted 27 of his 32 field-goal attempts (84.4%) and 53 of 55 extra-point attempts (96.4%) as a rookie. This season, he is 10-for-13 on field goals and 20-for-21 on extra points, with all three missed field goals coming from inside 50 yards.
It was noteworthy that, with an opportunity to tie the game late in the third quarter, the Patriots chose to go for it on fourth-and-2 instead of attempting a field goal.
Borregales, who had some struggles over the summer, is currently the only kicker on the Patriots' roster. It will be worth watching whether New England brings in another kicker this week, at least to create some competition.
