The Miami Dolphins traveled to Foxboro, Mass., on Sunday with the goal of finishing with a .500 record. A few hours later, they boarded a plane home after suffering one of their most embarrassing setbacks of the season, losing to the Patriots 28-0 at Gillette Stadium.

Miami (7-9, 2-4 AFC East) claimed it was focused on finishing with eight wins and wasn’t worried about being eliminated from the playoff race or facing the defending AFC-champion Patriots (12-4, 6-0 AFC East). Instead, the Dolphins looked like a team more worried about tee times on Monday than kickoff on Sunday. The sour performance likely leaves a bad taste in the mouths of the coaching staff and with numerous veterans in the final year of their deals, the blowout could signal the end of many careers in South Beach.

Offense: F

Defending getting shut out is like putting lipstick on a pig: no matter what you do, it’s still ugly. Miami finished with just 256 total yards as rookie QB Ryan Tannehill had a fumble, an interception and was sacked seven times. The offensive line was just as bad in the run game, opening holes for a mere 47 yards on 15 carries. Awful. Tannehill finished 20 of 35 for 235 yards as he was the victim of dropped passes and constant pressure from unblocked pass rushers. Previous game's grade: B

Defense: D

This unit dealt with several injuries, but did what it could to keep the team in the game. Overall, the Patriots finished with 443 yards of offense as QB Tom Brady shredded a decimated secondary, completing 22 of 36 passes for 284 yards with two touchdowns. If you want to know how bad it was, backup DB Bryan McCann finished with the team’s only sack of the game. Overall, there were too many missed tackles and blown assignments to contain the dynamic New England attack. Previous game's grade: B

Special teams: D

RB Marcus Thigpen proved going east and west gets you nowhere on one kickoff return as he raced the ball out to his team’s 5-yard line. Normally reliable P Brandon Fields had one of his more mediocre games of the season as he averaged 49.4 yards on five boots. K Nate Kaeding, one of the most accurate at his position in league history, shanked a 41-yard attempt in the first half. Previous game's grade: C

Coaching: F

The offensive plan showed little creativity as OC Mike Sherman’s patchwork line was shredded by the Patriots. The receivers rarely got open and a mediocre New England defense looked like world beaters. The defense failed to generate a consistent pass rush and when DC Kevin Coyle began sending blitzers, Brady easily picked apart a beleaguered secondary. First-year coach Joe Philbin did a great job making lemonade out of lemons all season, but the team looked totally disinterested as its season came to an ugly end in New England. Previous game's grade: B

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Miami Dolphins from blogger Dave Carey, follow @CBSDolphins.