Dolphins Fall to Patriots
The Miami Dolphins’ year has been a tale of two seasons – the first part, when they started 0-7, and the second, when they ripped off five wins in a span of seven games. But their last contest, which took place on Christmas Eve against the New England Patriots, was a microcosm of the entire season, as the first half looked like the Miami Dolphins of late, while in the second half, the team reverted back to their old ways en route to a 27-24 loss at Gillette Stadium.Miami was unstoppable in the first 30 minutes of play, while New England was the exact opposite. While the Patriots punted on their first six possessions – and missed a field goal on their seventh – the Dolphins were busy charging down the field, taking a 17-0 lead with 6:31 left in the second quarter after Matt Moore hit Charles Clay for a one-yard score. This was after Dan Carpenter connected on a 47-yard field goal on Miami’s opening drive and Moore hit Brandon Marshall for a 19-yard TD earlier in the second period.
But while the first half stats were skewed heavily in the Fins’ favor (12 Miami first downs to New England’s five, 255 total yards of offense to just 107, 172 passing yards to 74 – you get the picture), the second half was almost all New England. The Patriots re-grouped at halftime and responded in a big way after the break, scoring 27 unanswered points while converting on five consecutive possessions to put the Pats on top, 27-17, with 2:56 left in the game. Miami did respond with one last push, as Moore drove the team 80 yards for a TD in just over one minute of game time to reduce the margin to three, 27-24, but New England was able to run out the clock by converting on a first down.
The Patriots’ Tom Brady, who was an erratic 7-for-19 for 74 yards in the first half, was an impressive 20-for-27 in the second half and finished the game with 304 yards. That marked his 44th career game with 300+ yards, which is the eighth-most all-time in the NFL.
This isn’t the first time the Dolphins have let a game slip away after holding a large lead, and while this game hurts the Fins, they still have one more shot to end the season on a high note. And, Dolphins fans, that one last shot just so happens to be at Sun life Stadium. With one click of the mouse, you could have access to all of the best Miami Dolphins ticket packages that are available on the net when they Fins take on the Jets next Sunday. What better way is there to ring in the New Year than to witness Miami take on a division rival at home on January 1? Get your tickets now at MiamiDolphinsTickets.com and support the Miami Dolphins as they aim to end the season with a win!
