Here are the winners and losers from the New England Patriots’ 27-24 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 17 at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
The Patriots slipped out of the No. 2 spot, losing the the playoff bye. They will move to the third seed, and will play either the Tennessee Titans, the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Oakland Raiders next week during the wild card round.
Loser: Stephon Gilmore, CB
He allowed one of the most costly plays of the game: Devante Parker beat Gilmore for a jump-ball for 24 yards on third-and-5 on the Dolphins’ final offensive drive. There were a number of bad plays for New England on that drive, but this was one the Patriots expect Gilmore, their best player all season, to make. He didn’t. First down. The game-winning touchdown came a few plays later, with Patrick Chung getting beat in coverage against tight end Mike Gesicki.
And that captures just how wild this game was: the team’s best and most consistent player Gilmore was a mess. He didn’t look like the Defensive Player of the Year. Instead, Parker got the better of Gilmore for much of the game. Parker finished with eight catches and 137 yards, and won with a diversity of routes (crosses and fades).
Gilmore has created a high standard for himself. This performance was well below that standard.
Winner: Elandon Roberts, LB
Mike Vrabel… is that you?
Maybe this game wasn’t a pleasure for Patriots fans to watch. In fact, it was probably miserable. But Roberts’ touchdown catch was a fun moment for New England.
The linebacker has been playing at fullback after the Patriots saw injuries to James Develin and Jakob Johnson. Roberts hadn’t touched the ball despite his solid work as a blocker, and perhaps because of that, the Dolphins left him completely uncovered on a wheel route on first-and-10 in the second half. New England was hoping the Dolphins would forget about Roberts — Tom Brady dumped the ball off to Roberts, who had nothing but open field in front of him, thanks to strong play design by offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
Winner: Former Patriots practice squad players
Cornerback Jomal Wiltz, defensive tackle Trent Harris and safety Nate Brooks played significant roles for the Dolphins defense on Sunday. And they all spent a sizable portion of their careers on the Patriots’ practice squad.
That’s a sad sentiment for the Patriots’ offense, which struggled against players they’ve deemed unworthy of a 53-man roster spot.
That’s also an impressive sentiment about how strong Dolphins coach Brian Flores has been this season with an untalented roster.
Loser: Tom Brady, QB
This isn’t the Brady that New England is accustomed to seeing.
His vision on the field was off, particularly in the first half. Julian Edelman received the most of Brady’s attention, but that proved problematic. Brady stayed glued to Edelman, who struggled getting open and was double covered at times. Meanwhile, other pass-catchers ran free in the middle. Perhaps Brady was having trust issues with the receivers after they committed a handful of drops in the first half.
To make things worse, Brady had accuracy issues, again especially in the first half. When he found the right receiver, he occasionally over or underthrew him. For example, Brady had Mohamed Sanu open in the end zone during a third down in the second quarter, but Brady fired too high and the Patriots settled for a field goal. It would have been an impressive pass — but it’s the type of pass Brady usually makes.
The second half was a much-needed improvement for Brady, who finished those 30 minutes with two touchdowns. He was also 15 of 28 for 221 yards and an interception (for a pick-six).
Winner: Kick and punt coverage
Credit must go to Justin Bethel, Matthew Slater and Nate Ebner.
Not only did they cover a fake punt to perfection (which went disastrously for Miami), but the special teams also generated big plays on the Patriots’ first few punts. The Dolphins muffed their first punt return and New England downed the second punt inside the 5-yard line.
Bailey had three of his four punts inside the 20-yard line. And the Dolphins had just one return in the kicking game for 18 yards with two returns in the punting game for seven yards.
It was yet another dominant performance for this Patriots’ unit.
Loser: Mohamed Sanu, WR
His first three targets fell incomplete, including a drop on an easy drag route near the line of scrimmage. His reputation as a possession receiver has not held up in New England. He looks insecure when the ball comes his way — it’s also unclear if he is comfortable in New England’s offense. He had that breakout game against the Ravens in Week 9 (10 catches, 84 yard, 1 TD), but he’s had very little production since then.
In the second half, Sanu managed a 22-yarder on third-and-4. The catch was impressive, even if Brady seemed to be targeting Watson on the play. This was a bright spot in an otherwise tough performance for Sanu.
Winner: Run and screen blocking
The Patriots offensive line got the better of the Dolphins defense. New England’s big men were moving well in the open field (James White’s touchdown came on a screen pass), and the linemen created enough space between the tackles for Sony Michel and Rex Burkhead to enjoy a nice day.
This unit has taken heat the season, with the Patriots offense struggling. They deserved credit for their work Sunday.
Loser: Julian Edelman (and, in turn, the whole offense)
He was basically a non-factor. The Patriots seemed to want to rest him due to his two injuries, but New England showed how badly they need Edelman involved. Edelman got six targets for two catches and 28 yards. They struggled to move the ball all game long.
To make things worse, he won’t get the bye for rest.
