There were no miracles to be had for the New England Patriots in Sunday’s 31-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins. It was just more disappointment from a team that looked outmatched on the road.
The Patriots are clearly trying and competing every week, but those efforts are thwarted at every turn by one team seemingly always having the better built roster.
The blocking on the makeshift offensive line was once again abysmal, which initiated a snowball effect of a bad run game and lack of real passing opportunities. Mac Jones was a statue standing in the pocket with nowhere to go with the football.
And the defense couldn’t save him.
The unit typically throws on the red cape and keep things more competitive than it probably should be for the Patriots this season, but this time, they ran into an offensive juggernaut they couldn’t topple.
Here are the studs and duds from the game:
Mac Jones: DUD
The one thing the Patriots could not do in this game was turn the ball over. But Mac Jones coughed up the gut-punch interception in the second quarter on a drive that likely would have netted the Patriots points.
JALEN RAMSEY INTERCEPTION IN DOLPHINS DEBUT 🐬
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/VLAKSwC93i
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 29, 2023
The pick by Jalen Ramsey seemingly took the air out of the Patriots’ lungs for the rest of the game. It felt like they had just taken a step in a time machine back to the losses to the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints in games where the offense couldn’t get out of its own way.
Yes, the cupboard is bare for Jones at the skilled positions, but he isn’t making life easier on New England by constantly throwing the ball to the other team.
Referees: DUD
The Dolphins are already a good enough team without some questionable officiating helping them.
There was the pass interference called on Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson on 3rd-and-goal that gave Miami another set of downs and an easy touchdown. The referees also picked up a flag for the Dolphins on an illegal man downfield call that initially looked like the correct call.
And there was this hit on Patriots’ wide receiver DeVante Parker that didn’t even draw a flag.
Huge hit from Deshon Elliott on DeVante Parker.
But was it legal? #Dolphins #Patriots pic.twitter.com/hujVksChSI
— Henry McKenna (@henrycmckenna) October 29, 2023
This was not a good day for the officiating, and it’s a bummer because the Dolphins are truly a talented football team.
J.C. Jackson: DUD
The officials might have gotten the pass interference call wrong, but that still doesn’t change the fact that the Dolphins were eating J.C. Jackson’s lunch all afternoon.
Tyreek Hill made it look easy when matched up against the veteran cornerback, who had played well for the Patriots up to this point.
Tyreek Hill just absolutely burned J.C. Jackson pic.twitter.com/GfM0ri34Tp
— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) October 29, 2023
Hill has been burning everybody not named Christian Gonzalez since the start of the season, and Jackson was no different in this game. The Dolphins’ star wideout finished with eight catches for 112 yards and one touchdown, while Jaylen Waddle had seven catches for 121 yards and one touchdown.
It was a display of offensive dominance from Miami, and Jackson and the Patriots couldn’t stop the bleeding.
Kyle Dugger: STUD
Kyle Dugger was one of the few bright spots for the Patriots defense on a day when they were getting obliterated by the Dolphins offense. He cleaned up some of the missed tackles from last week and led the team in tackles against the Dolphins.
He also managed to snag an interception from Tua Tagovailoa.
.@KingDugg_3 bringing it the other way!
📺: #NEvsMIA on CBS pic.twitter.com/JGJYrj9XDR
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 29, 2023
Dugger is a candidate to potentially be traded before the deadline, but he is showing why it might be smarter to extend him to a new deal and keep him around as part of the rebuild.
Offensive line: DUD
Here we go again.
The Patriots’ offensive line was once again atrocious against a healthier defense than the one they faced against Buffalo last week. Mac Jones was sacked three times and hit seven times in the game. Even Trent Brown, who has played like one of the top tackles in the league, had ugly moments in the game.
It looks like Trent Brown thought the play was over pic.twitter.com/xfNNqEgW4p
— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) October 29, 2023
Jones typically takes all of the blame for the offensive struggles, but with no consistent protection or receivers getting open, it’s impossible to operate at the quarterback position under these circumstances.
The line looked like it took a step forward last week, but that turned into a step back against the Dolphins. It doesn’t help matters that the unit has been a revolving door of injured players.
There’s no continuity at this point.
Pharaoh Brown: STUD
Tight end Pharaoh Brown continued to be an unlikely hero for the Patriots when catching two passes for 33 yards. On a day when the offense couldn’t get much going, Brown came up with a couple of big plays, which is starting to become the norm in games.
The veteran tight end came into the game with the highest Pro Football Focus grade at the entire position. He added to that grade on Sunday, when he was second only to Kendrick Bourne in receiving yards.
Kendrick Bourne: STUD
Kendrick Bourne led the Patriots with 36 yards and a touchdown before going down with a knee injury in the game. It’s a tough loss for the Patriots considering he’s one of the few difference-makers the team has on offense this season.
.@Patriots take the lead on the Kendrick Bourne touchdown!
📺: #NEvsMIA on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Quwvdzpx7G pic.twitter.com/aQyaMOs4s0— NFL (@NFL) October 29, 2023
Bourne being out for any extended period of time would put the Patriots in a bind. DeVante Parker also left the game early with a head injury. That leaves JuJu Smith-Schuster, Demario Douglas and Jalen Reagor as the top remaining receiving options for the Patriots.
