New England’s run defense was dominant throughout, holding Miami to approximately half a field’s worth of yards on the ground. Rhamondre Stevenson led all runners with an 89 yard carry while Zach Sieler and Emmanuel Ogbah’s sacks kept New England’s passing game under wraps.
Dolphins kicked off with a disorganized first quarter that featured three offensive penalties accepted and Joey Slye missing a 45-yard field goal attempt.
In this article, we will discuss the main points or high lights of New England Patriots vs Miami Dolphins Match Player Stats.
Here’s a summary table of the last five head-to-head matchups between the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins (regular season, most recent first):
| Date | Venue | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 24, 2024 | @ Miami | Dolphins win | 34–15 |
| Oct 6, 2024 | @ New England | Dolphins win | 15–10 |
| Oct 29, 2023 | @ Miami | Dolphins win | 31–17 |
| Sep 17, 2023 | @ New England | Dolphins win | 24–17 |
| Jan 1, 2023 | @ New England | Patriots win | 23–21 |
Player stats
In Week 12, the Dolphins struggled to find an offensive rhythm against the Patriots. Backup QB Skylar Thompson made some inroads in the running game but made several errors passing. Meanwhile, New England held Miami to just 88 yards for the entire game, their lowest total this season.
New England controlled time of possession during the first half, using their rushing attack to take significant chunks off of clock. They limited Dolphins big play opportunities by holding them to just 87 rushing yards for the game – something the Patriots secondary will need to focus on further in order to avoid home run balls being hit into their goal by Miami.
After an early three-and-out by the Patriots, the Dolphins struck back with an explosive drive that resulted in Huntley connecting with Smith for a 7-yard touchdown pass to give them a 14-0 advantage early in the second quarter. Jaylen Waddle and De’Von Achane then combined for a 71-yard drive which yielded Achane catching a 9-yard TD catch and giving their side another 14-0 edge early on in the third quarter.
New England went three-and-out again on its next possession, leading to another punt from Jake Bailey – but Brendan Schooler blocked it instead and gave the Patriots great field position at 23 yards from scrimmage. On kickoff Joey Slye missed an attempt at making New England take a 10-3 lead at halftime.
The Dolphins’ defense had difficulty early against New England, but after some adjustments at the start of the second half they quickly restored their stout run defense. Led by veterans Calais Campbell and Zach Sieler as well as second-year linebacker Jonathan Jones in their defensive front, this unit has allowed only 112 rushing yards per game all season long and should continue its performance against one of the league’s elite teams like New England on Thursday.
Passing stats
The Patriots managed to control the first half of this contest thanks to their strong rushing attack, chewing up significant clock while the defense limited Miami to only 87 yards on the ground by intermission – ultimately giving them an edge in terms of time of possession with 35 minutes versus 25.
The pass defense struggled to keep up with Miami Dolphins wide receivers in the second half, yet still made several key stops late in the game. Cornerback Stephon Gilmore intercepted one drive with an early interception from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick while linebacker Christian Gonzalez intercepted rookie quarterback Drake Maye on their next drive – both actions providing critical early stops in this crucial matchup.
After an unscored third quarter, the Patriots managed to score the game-winning points. Kicker Joey Slye missed his 52-yard field goal attempt but his team recovered the ensuing onside kick, taking control with under two minutes remaining and scoring an additional point via Slye’s backfield lateral pass to tight end Rob Gronkowski.
New England’s passing game may have struggled at times, but their running game was effective all day. They gained 75 yards on 15 attempts – more than half came on first-down rushes with Newton leading the charge on first down runs by gaining more yards after contact than any other Patriot ball carrier.
The Patriots received a boost from their return game. Marcus Jones produced two punt returns of at least 60 yards during the first half, including a 61-yard return in the second quarter. With special teams production struggling this year, these big returns from Jones could prove pivotal in long-term success of this season’s special teams production. If Jones can continue this hot streak this week against Miami Dolphins he would join Troy Brown, Irving Fryar and Gunner Olszewski as just four players ever with multiple punt returns of 60+ yards within one season within just four seasons – joining Troy Brown, Irving Fryar and Gunner Olszewski in doing just this feat!
Rushing stats
The Patriots utilized their powerful running game in their win against Miami Dolphins. Second-year edge rusher Chase Winovich played an integral part, posting six total tackles (four solo), including two run-stuffers on first quarter plays that helped force Miami to punt. Cornerback Stephon Gilmore made an impactful defensive showing, notching one interception and creating another turnover during just the first half alone.
The Dolphins have had some success running the ball this year despite losing De’Von Achane to injury and having an unimpressive offensive line. Raheem Mostert and Jaylen Wright led them to 193 yards on the ground during their initial meeting against New England in Week 5, leading them with Raheem Mostert likely being their leader; Achane is scheduled to return next week so this level of production should remain.
At the beginning of the second quarter, after a Dolphins three-and-out, rookie quarterback Drake Maye took over to lead New England. On their second drive, Maye led New England downfield until rookie running back Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled and Tyrel Dodson recovered it for a 31-yard touchdown return.
Following a punt, New England took over at Miami’s 23-yard line and drove downfield before incurring a penalty on third-down play that negated any gains; ultimately ending in a Jason Sanders field goal from 28 yards out.
Second half Dolphins continued to chip away at New England’s advantage. Their front seven had an immediate impact, disrupting New England’s offensive line with Zach Sieler recording two quarterback hits and one sack while linebacker Emmanuel Ogbah notching four tackles and two sacks himself.
After an uncertain start, New England’s defense was able to hold their ground for most of the fourth quarter. New England limited Miami Dolphins to only one field goal and forced punt at game’s end; additionally Jake Bailey punt was blocked by Jonathan Jones giving possession deep within their own territory back to New England.
Receiving stats
The Dolphins offense under Mike McDaniel had one of the NFL’s most prolific units during Week 5. But during a 15-10 victory against New England Patriots it hardly looked impressive.
The Patriots scored on only one scoring drive of the first half – an 80-yard, 12-play march which resulted in Joey Slye missing an attempted 45-yard field goal from Joey Slye – before they were forced to punt on their next two possessions, leading directly to Dolphin touchdowns on both occasions.
An inauspicious start to the second half was all it took for Miami to quickly put New England on their heels, scoring two more touchdowns within 12 minutes of playing time. Maye found an open Austin Hooper for a 38-yard score on Maye’s initial play of their third drive of the half; soon thereafter their defense found its groove; however, continued poor play in other areas hampered them further.
Christian Gonzalez recorded both of his career interceptions against the Dolphins this season – his first was against them and second came this week against them – becoming only the second player ever in franchise history (excluding playoff games) to accomplish this feat.
He will also become the only defensive back to do so against one team this season; New England cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore and Jason McCourty each picked off one Dolphins pass during this campaign.
The Patriots travel to Hard Rock Stadium this Sunday for their Sunday Night matchup against the Miami Dolphins on CBS and can be seen locally on WBZ-TV Channel 4. Spero Dedes will provide play-by-play commentary while Adam Archuleta and Aditi Kinkhabwala provide color analysis. Aditi Kinkhabwala joins them from the sidelines; radio affiliates will also carry this game – for more details click here.