Ten Takeaways From the Patriots 34-15 Loss in Miami

The New England Patriots went into Week 12 against the Miami Dolphins with reason for optimism. New England was 2-2 over the past four weeks with both losses coming by a single score. The Patriots had not been blown out in over a month. Furthermore, there was plenty of reason to expect a better performance than what New England showed in a 15-10 loss in Week 5.

Unfortunately for New England, optimism left the stadium in Miami long before the final whistle. Miami scored 31 straight points to establish an unsurmountable advantage. The Dolphins deserve credit for quality execution but the Patriots did not do a good job making things difficult on the home team. Worse still, New England made things difficult on themselves with undisciplined play.

New England’s issues with penalties, coverage, blocking, and turnovers all contributed to a 34-15 Miami win. The loss drops the Patriots record to 3-9, which the Dolphins improved to 5-6 after sweeping the season series.

Also Read – Patriots Legends Among Pro Football Hall of Fame Semifinalists

Ten takeaways from Sunday’s Patriots loss:

No Discipline

When the Patriots lost to the Dolphins in Week 5, penalties played a significant factor. New England lost 105 yards on 12 penalties. In a five-point game (Miami won 15-10), those flags were a significant factor in the outcome. Worst of all, many of the penalties were unforced errors. Presnap penalties are not something a team at a talent disadvantage can afford. Limiting those mistakes should have been a point of emphasis heading into Week 12. But if it was, it fell on deaf ears.

New England’s offensive tackles, Vederian Lowe and Demontrey Jacobs, combined for four penalties in the first quarter alone. Three of them were false start penalties. It set the tone early for a sloppy and undisciplined performance. The Patriots were flagged 10 times in all (that were accepted) costing them 75 yards. In an area where significant improvement from their first meeting was there for the taking, New England failed to improve.

No Ability to Stop Jonnu Smith

Miami made a point to get the ball to former Patriots tight end Jonnu Smith. It worked. He caught nine passes for 87 yards and scored the Dolphins’ first touchdown. Another attempted pass to Smith resulted in a pass interference call on Patriots safety Kyle Dugger. Miami showed they were willing to stick with what was working until New England figured out how to stop it. Unfortunately for the Patriots, they never seemed to figure out how to stop it.

Jonnu Smith been ballin lately 👏

📺: #NEvsMIA on CBS/Paramount+
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— NFL (@NFL) November 24, 2024

No Help From the Special Teams Unit

The New England Patriots didn’t have much positive working for them on Sunday. However, they did have a nice drive on the game’s second possession. New England worked the ball into Miami territory before Jacobs’ holding penalty drove them back ten yards. A third-down draw set up a field goal attempt for Joey Slye, but the kicker drilled the goalpost on his 45-yard attempt. Instead of taking a 3-0 lead, the Dolphins got the ball back and drove for a touchdown. The Patriots were not in a position to take the lead again on Sunday.

No Ability to Cover Jaylen Waddle

Like the Rams last week, the Dolphins have multiple explosive weapons on their roster. The Patriots did not show an ability to limit their production. Jaylen Waddle presented problems for New England that were never solved. He finished the day with eight receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown. Tyreek Hill’s production was limited (five receptions, 48 yards), but Miami’s other options more than made up for it.

Things we love to see: pic.twitter.com/8SniJHencR

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) November 24, 2024

No Pass Protection

When the New England Patriots offensive line wasn’t committing penalties, they often allowed pressure on Drake Maye. Miami recorded four quarterback sacks, including one that resulted in a fumble. The Dolphins immediately scored after the turnover. Certainly, a great deal of the criticism should be targeted at the linemen, though they are not alone. Another quarterback pressure resulted in Maye throwing an ill-advised pass that was intercepted.

Eliot Wolf put this roster together, and the coaching staff are not giving them enough help from tight ends or running backs. When Maye wasn’t getting sacked, he was still being chased out of the pocket. His mobility prevented the numbers from looking worse for New England’s pass protection. However, relying on a rookie quarterback to make the pass protection palatable is a losing formula.

No Answers for Tua Tagovailoa

Perhaps this one goes without saying. New England couldn’t stop Jonnu Smith or Jaylen Waddle. The Patriots couldn’t contain De’Von Achane as a target out of the backfield. This meant the New England Patriots had no answers for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. For most of the afternoon, New England played just as poorly as they had in Week 5 against the Dolphins. The difference between a close game and a blowout was that Tagovailoa was in at quarterback for Miami this time instead of Tyler Huntley. Tagovailoa finished the afternoon 29 for 40 passing, for 317 yards, four touchdowns, and no turnovers. Those numbers don’t lose many football games. Poor coverage and a poor pass rush combine to help opposing quarterbacks put up big numbers.

No Moral Victories

A week ago, the Los Angeles Rams beat the New England Patriots 28-22. After the game, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo stated he felt like the Rams were never in control of the game. Although many watching the game disagreed, the Patriots did dominate the time of possession and had a chance to win the game on their final possession. This week’s game presented no such silver linings. Miami won the game and also won nearly every meaningful statistical category. the Patriots lone advantage came in rushing yards, where they held a 86-65 advantage over the Dolphins. This was largely thanks to Miami never abandoning their passing attack, even with a comfortable lead.

No Confidence in the Patriots Franchise

Nobody expected the Patriots to turn around last season’s 4-13 team in one season. However, the lack of progress at this point in the season is concerning. New England Patriots players are still making the same undisciplined, mental mistakes that they were making at the start of the season. Very few players on the roster have improved enough as the season has progressed to solidify themselves as building blocks moving forward. The front office, led by Eliot Wolf, is open to second-guessing over the team’s offseason moves and struggling draft class aside from Drake Maye. The coaching staff has shown almost no ability to make in-game adjustments or be able to dictate the type of team they want to be. Robert Kraft is unlikely to clean house after the 2024 season (he did that after last season by removing Bill Belichick). However, the grace period for the current staff is shrinking, even for those who have extended them the benefit of the doubt throughout 2024.

No Reason to be 100% Negative

It’s no fun to be completely negative, even after a game that largely deserved as much. So a few positives from Sunday warrant a mention. Drake Maye’s ability to keep plays alive and make something out of nothing is impressive, especially for a rookie. The hope is that his negative plays (particularly turnovers) reduce as he gains game experience. If the team gets stronger around him, Maye’s play will improve from that alone.

On the defensive side of the ball, Christian Barmore recorded his first sack of 2024. It was Barmore’s second game of the season. After a quiet performance against the Rams, it was nice to see him bring down Tagovailoa on Sunday. It’s great having him be healthy enough to be active, but even better seeing him contribute.

Finally, the New England Patriots continued to play hard and compete at the end of the game. This included Christian Gonzalez scoring on a fumble recovery in the fourth quarter.

GONE-zo went 62 yards for the TD!

📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/3ipg1qHazL

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 24, 2024

Maybe this was a bit of a moral victory, but it was refreshing seeing the team continue to play hard when things weren’t going their way. The poor body language that was seen often early in the season appears to be a thing of the past. A 31-0 deficit entering the fourth quarter was cut to a 34-15 final score.

New England Patriots Stars of the Game

First Star – Christian Gonzalez (3 tackles, PBU, TD)

Second Star – Austin Hooper (4 receptions, 59 yards, TD)

Third Star – Christian Barmore (2 tackles, sack)