New England 27, Miami 17
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, October 27, 2013
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
Temperature:
53°
Head Official:
Walt Anderson
Attendance:
68756
By SportsDirect Inc.
Patriots 27, Dolphins 17: Brandon Bolden and Stevan Ridley rushed for short-yardage touchdowns as host New England used a dominant defensive effort in the second half to erase a 14-point deficit and defeat Miami for the seventh straight time.
Tom Brady (13-of-22, 116 yards) moved past Hall-of-Famer Fran Tarkenton and into fourth place on the all-time list with his 343rd career touchdown pass - a 14-yarder to rookie Aaron Dobson. Defensive back Devin McCourty alertly tapped Ryan Tannehill's intended pass to teammate Marquice Cole for the first of two second-half interceptions, helping the Patriots (6-2) prevent a second straight loss to an AFC East rival.
Tannehill tossed two touchdown passes and Brandon Gibson collected his third score in two games with a 4-yard catch in the first quarter before exiting with a left knee injury. Daniel Thomas had a 5-yard touchdown reception for the reeling Dolphins (3-4), who have dropped four in a row.
Brady was intercepted on his first pass and threw for just 25 yards in the first half as New England was booed off the field after finding itself trailing 17-3 at intermission. The two-time NFL MVP rebounded by connecting with Dobson on the left side of the end zone and - after defensive lineman Rob Ninkovich recovered Tannehill's fifth fumble of the season on the ensuing drive - Bolden went around the left end to score from 2 yards out and forge a 17-17 tie.
After Stephen Gostkowski kicked his second field goal to give the Patriots the lead, Miami defensive end Olivier Vernon was whistled for batting a ball forward following Brady's fumble, resulting in a 10-yard penalty. Ridley scored on a 3-yard run four plays later as New England seized a 27-17 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
GAME NOTEBOOK: After tossing a career-high three touchdowns in a 23-21 loss to Buffalo last week, Tannehill rolled to his right before finding Gibson in the end zone to cap an 11-play drive in the first quarter. Tannehill tossed a short underneath pass to Thomas to give Miami a 14-0 lead early in the second. ... Miami rushed for 103 yards in the first half, matching its season high for a game. It finished with 156. ... New England RT Sebastian Vollmer suffered a leg injury and was carted off the field in the second quarter. He did not return.
Top Game Performances
Receiving
Miami |
|
New England |
Mike Wallace
| Player |
Aaron Dobson
|
3 |
Receptions |
4 |
41 |
Yards |
60 |
13.7 |
Avg Yards |
15.0 |
0 |
Touchdowns |
1 |
25 |
Long |
26 |
Team Stats Summary
|
Yards |
Scoring |
Defense |
Team |
Tot |
Rus |
Pas |
TD |
FG |
INT |
Sck |
FF |
Miami
|
301 |
156 |
145 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
3.0 |
0 |
New England
|
252 |
152 |
100 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
6.0 |
1 |
Upcoming Games
-
New England will play their next game at home against Pittsburgh. The Patriots have a W/L % of .667 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.
-
Miami will play their next game at home against Cincinnati. The Dolphins have a W/L % of .750 after a win and .000 after a loss.