The Dolphins are getting tired of the same losing formula: bad turnovers, careless penalties and sloppy special teams play added up to a 23-16 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday.
Miami (5-7, 1-3 AFC East) fell behind 17-3 in the first half and despite a fantastic defensive effort in the second half, was never able to fully close the gap. Meantime, New England (9-3, 5-0 AFC East) clinched the division title and remained in the race for the top seed in the AFC. The news got worse for the Dolphins as the day progressed and the team fell a full two games behind Pittsburgh (7-5, 2-2 AFC North) in the race for the final wild-card spot.
Offense: D
Ugh. The offensive line yielded three sacks and paved the way for just 101 yards rushing and a touchdown on 27 carries. OT Jake Long suffered a triceps injury and rookie OT Jonathan Martin was forced to slide to the left in his place. Overall, the group struggled to create rushing lanes or protect rookie QB Ryan Tannehill, who completed 13 of 29 passes for 186 yards with a lost fumble. Tannehill routinely missed open receivers and the team continues to misuse RB Reggie Bush. Previous game's grade: B-
Defense: B
This group kept the team in the game with well-timed blitzes, solid tackling and not yielding big plays in the passing game. New England finished with a season-low 321 yards and mustered a mere two field goals in the second half. DB Reshad Jones had a dynamic performance, making 10 tackles to go with a sack and an interception. Previous game's grade: C+
Special teams: C
P Brandon Fields was guilty of the game’s first miscue when he botched a snap and gave New England amazing field position early in the first quarter. He averaged 51.8 yards on five other boots, but the damage was done. The return game did little to help the offense. However, K Dan Carpenter did have his best game of the season, making all three of his field goal attempts. Previous game's grade: C-
Coaching: C
Defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle had a terrific game plan, keeping the Patriots off balance with varied blitzes and mixing the coverages enough to shield a below-average secondary. Offensive coordinator Mike Sherman’s grade is incomplete as the erratic performance from Tannehill often kept the team from moving the ball on well-designed plays. Coach Joe Philbin had his team ready to go, but in the end it wasn’t enough to overcome some of the same old mistakes. Previous game's grade: B
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Miami Dolphins from blogger Dave Carey, follow @CBSDolphins
