The New England Patriots traveled to South Florida this weekend for a Week 12 battle with the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium, and Jerod Mayo's team was handed a 34-15 defeat.
New England's offense didn't put forth their best effort in this one. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye completed 59.5% of his passes for 221 yards with a touchdown, an interception and a lost fumble, as he was under pressure frequently.
The team, as a whole, had 10 penalties accepted against them, and a number of them were on the offensive line, including four on left tackle Vederian Lowe. The offense just isn't talented enough to overcome unnecessary mistakes.
New England's rushing attack wasn't great either, as Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for just 13 yards on 1.6 per carry. Antonio Gibson and JaMycal Hasty were a bit better in their limited opportunities, combining for 45 yards on seven attempts.
The Patriots defense was hard to watch, with Tua Tagovailoa completing 72.5% of his passes for 317 yards and four touchdowns. They recorded just two sacks (Christian Barmore and Brenden Schooler), and their lone takeaway was an unforced fumble on a hand-off between Miami's backup quarterback Skylar Thompson and Jaylen Wright.
They did a decent job stopping the run, with the Dolphins rushing for just 65 yards on 24 attempts.
New England's special teams units weren't great either, as Joey Slye missed his lone field goal attempt, and Bryce Baringer's punts could've been placed better.
The loss drops the Patriots to 3-9 and into last place in the division. They'll take on the Indianapolis Colts next week before a much-needed bye week.
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