Week 14 Live Blog: Patriots vs. Dolphins

Welcome to Week 14, and thank you for joining us this Monday night as the Patriots try to clinch the AFC East for the NINTH straight year, which is simply amazing. We are about 15 minutes from game time, so whatever you had to do before the game- YOU BETTER DO IT NOW…or just use your DVR. Enjoy the game, and I hope all of you are entertained by the updates and opinions from tonight’s game.

FIRST QUARTER

15:00- New England won the toss, and of course they deferred. The Dolphins take it out to the 19.

14:49- Parker with the drop, 2nd & 10…

14:38- Kenyon Drake takes it and runs for a 26 yard run. 1st & 10 from the Miami 45.

14:20- Landry for nine more on the catch, 2nd & 1…

12:26- 2nd & 13 after Drake gets tripped up in the backfield.

12:00- Drake with the 12 yard gain off the catch, 3rd & 1…

11:35- The Patriots defensive line gets a great surge, forcing a 4th down attempt. 4th & 1…

10:54- Bootleg (waggle) pass is wide open after miscommunication in the secondary. 1st & 10 from the New England 21.

10:13- Swing pass leads to a 3 yard gain because Jones completely whiffed on the tackle. The Patriots defense always gives up long drives to start games. 1st & 10…

9:35- Loss of one on the carry, 2nd & 11…

9:12- Cutler missed Stills in the back of the end zone; the coverage was pretty good. 3rd & 11…

9:05- Cutler is forced to throw it away due to excellent coverage, forcing the Cody Parky field goal, which he drilled. Typical Patriots opponent drive- go down the field like it’s nothing, then get stuffed in the red zone and get forced into the field goal attempt. Dolphins 3, Patriots 0

9:01- Brady and the offense take the field.

8:40- Ugly first two plays of the series, let’s hope this improves soon.

8:15- It didn’t improve, it got worse. Miami gets away with DPI, and they also come up with the interception. The Patriots problems in Miami are real, and this is going to be a dogfight. Dolphins 3, Patriots 0

7:05- Miami takes it right up the middle on 3rd & 1; fullback dive, old school play. 1st & 10…

6:18- 17 more yards for Miami, who is making Jay Cutler look like Peyton Manning.

5:48- Six more yards on the ground; the defense needs to step up again and hold Miami to another field goal.

5:05- Eric Lee does terrific job setting the edge, forcing the back to cut back into the teeth of the defense. 3rd & 8…

4:19- Jonathan Jones makes up for his awful play on the first drive by making the tackle to force another Cody Parkey field goal. For as awful as the Patriots have looked, they are only down 6-0 due to their excellent red zone defense. Miami 6, New England 0

3:49- Brady and the offense will try this again. The line needs to wake up.

3:45- Brady is seeing ghosts, this is what happens in Miami, and sometimes in Denver too.

2:59- Brady has his pass almost picked again, but Verner dropped it. Patriots forced to punt, and the exhausted Patriots defense will be forced to take the field again. The Patriots offense stinks right now, I can’t say it any other way. They better wake up or they will lose this game. Dolphins 6, Patriots 0

2:47- Encroachment on Malcom Brown, this just keeps getting better.

2:39- Jay Cutler, who runs like he has a piano on his back at this point in his career, runs for a 1st down.

2:09- Chung with good coverage on Julius Thomas, 2nd & 10…

2:06- Gilmore called for DPI, not a hold, which is what he actually did. That spot foul gives the Dolphins more yards. Get it right, zebras.

1:55- Holding on Miami, 1st & 20…

:44- Branch with the run stuff, 3rd & 13…

:00- Thomas made the catch, fumbled, scooped it up, ran again, but was still six yards short of the 1st down. 4th & 7 from the Patriots 48. That is the end of the first quarter, Dolphins 6, Patriots 0.

SECOND QUARTER

15:00- Danny Amendola with the fair catch at the eight yard line, 1st & 10.

14:45- Dion Lewis with the 11-yard run, 1st & 10…

13:45- Burkhead with the gain of seven on the bubble screen, 1st & 10…

13:08- Lewis for two, 2nd & 8…

12:37- Lewis with the catch on the screen, 3rd & 4…

12:00- Burkhead with a gain of three on the crossing route, forcing Ryan Allen onto the field to punt. That was a bad play call; why not throw the ball to the sticks, at least? It was only four yards…I don’t get that. Miami takes over at their own 13.

11:03- 3-yard gain by Drake on 1st down, 2nd & 7…

10:27- Sack! Devin McCourty with the well-timed safety blitz for the 11-yard loss, 3rd and 18…

9:40- Screen pass goes for nine, and the Dolphins will punt. The Patriots offense takes over at their own 48. They need a score on this drive, be it a touchdown or a field goal. This game looks like a rock fight, so you have to take any score when it is there. They cannot pass up field goals in this game, the offense looks bad without Gronkowski and points may be hard to come by.

9:06- Dwayne Allen picks up eight on the first down catch, but Cam Fleming is called for the false start. 2nd & 7…

8:10- Amazing throw-and-catch from Brady to Lewis for 20 yards. Running backs aren’t supposed to be able to make catches like that…wow. 1st & 10…

7:03- After a run and catch by Burkhead, the Patriots are facing 3rd & 5…

6:24- DPI committed on Brandin Cooks, Patriots will have the ball at the three-yard line.

6:18- Touchdown, Patriots!! Rex Burkhead takes it in with the spinning run, and the Patriots finally put together a good drive. The catch by Lewis will be on highlight films for years to come. Gostkowski drilled the extra point; Patriots 7, Dolphins 6

5:19- Drake with the long catch, and the Dolphins are already in the red zone. Drake is killing New England, they need to make adjustments in coverage to deal with him. Miami scored, but they were called for holding. Now they are at the Patriots 20; 1st & 14…

4:50- Drake with another good run, 2nd & 7…

4:25- Timeout, Dolphins.

4:21- Odd play design was immediately read by the Patriots defense; Miami now faces 3rd & 7.

4:11- Unbelievable. Jordan Richards is sent on the perfect blitz, but he can’t take Cutler down. Jay Cutler. Cutler made the throw, then on the following play they hit Stills on the bootleg for a touchdown. The Patriots defense just had their worst series in 11 weeks. Dolphins 13, Patriots 7. This game might go from a rock fight to a shootout.

2:47- Burkhead with the 20 yard gain, 1st & 10 from the Dolphins 44. Brady is going to let the clock run down to the two-minute warning. New England needs to answer with a touchdown, and they are hoping to do it while running out the clock on the half.

2:00- Burkhead with the catch and run for the 1st down, Patriots now at the Miami 36.

1:16- Pressure on Brady forces the incompletion; 2nd & 10…

1:10- Seven-yard gain by James White on the catch, 3rd & 3…

:39- Stupid play call on the shovel/toss to White. He isn’t fast enough going east/west, he is a north/south one-cut running back. I’m still amazed at his game-winning Super Bowl run because it simply isn’t his strength.

:06- Gostkowski drills the 46-yard field to cut the lead to three. The Patriots will have to kickoff because there are two seconds left, but they do get the ball at to start the 2nd half. Dolphins 13, Patriots 10

:00- We have reached halftime, and the Dolphins lead by three.

HALFTIME

14:05- Two plays, both ugly. The sack was uglier; 3rd & 16…

13:24- Interception, Dolphins. Brady went deep to Cooks, who looked open, but he wasn’t open enough. 1st & 10, Dolphins, from the Patriots 47.

13:04- Landry with the catch for six, 2nd & 4…

12:37- Jay Cutler is good tonight, but his tight end had a brain cramp on that one. 3rd & 4…

12:05- 1st down catch by Stills; the defense needs to start bringing more pressure, the front three/four pass rush is weak.

11:03- Touchdown, Dolphins. Grant, who is about 5’7, makes the catch in the back of the end zone. This is ugly all-around for New England. Dolphins 20, Patriots 10

10:58- Can Brady get the offense going? We shall see.

10:40- Lewis just got hammered for a loss of four; somebody missed their block.

10:06- 8-yard gain, 3rd & 6…

9:35- Cameron Wake jumped, giving the Patriots 5-free yards; 3rd & 1…

9:12- Brady tries to hit Cooks, but it just isn’t happening. The loss of Gronk is killing New England tonight. Maybe he should have just dove at the guys knees like Bennett yesterday, who will not be receiving any type of punishment. Let that soak in. Patriots are forced to punt.

8:04- Drake is killing New England; 3rd & 1, Miami…

7:45- Jones gets called for a deserved DPI on Landry; this is some ugly stuff.

6:45- Two runs by Drake nets six yards, 3rd & 4…

6:10- Parker makes the catch on the shallow crossing route; no pass rush, this is disgusting defense.

5:22- Drake rips off a 30 yard gain, 1st & Goal. If Miami scores a touchdown here, New England will be in deep trouble.

4:43- Touchdown, Dolphins. No pass rush, yet Landry is wide open in the middle of the defense. The Patriots can’t move the ball or stop Miami; that is not a good recipe for winning. Dolphins 27, Patriots 10

4:25- DPI on Verner, sets the Patriots up at their own 41.

4:20- I will be stunned if the Patriots come back tonight. Brady has no time whatsoever.

3:34- That is the end of that series. Brady tried to go deep to Hogan, but he overthrew him. The Patriots just don’t play well in Miami, especially Brady, who is 7-8 in his career against the Dolphins on the road.

1:17- Adam Butler makes the sack on 3rd down, a huge stop for the defense. The Patriots offense will take over at their own 31.

:30- Amendola with a 7-yard catch, 2nd & 3…

:00- On the final play of the quarter, Amendola makes a 27-yard catch to set the offense up at the Miami 20. They need a quick touchdown to have any chance to get back in this game. Dolphins 27, Patriots 10

FOURTH QUARTER

15:00- 1st & 10, Patriots…

14:08- Lewis with the catch-and-run, giving the Patriots 1st & Goal from the Miami seven.

13:31- Amendola with the catch, but he went out of bounds at the three; 2nd & Goal…

13:05- Touchdown, Patriots!! James White with the nice catch on the low throw, and the Patriots cut the lead to 10. It seems like a no-brainer to spread these guys out and go no-huddle, but they are afraid to get Brady killed. If the backs and receivers are getting open quick, they can protect long enough. Now the defense needs another stop. Dolphins 27, Patriots 17

12:15- 2nd & 11 for the Dolphins was almost a touchdown for New England, but Guy couldn’t hold on. 3rd & 11, Dolphins. Timeout, Miami.

12:08- Encroachment, the Patriots give Miami five. 3rd & 6…

12:01- Incomplete pass on a play that looked like it was going to be made. He could have run, but he didn’t, and he made a bad throw. New England was called for a penalty on the return, so they will start the drive at the 15.

11:41- Allen with a gain of two, 2nd & 8…

11:05- Brady throws it at Amendola’s foot, 3rd & 8…

10:30- Brady sacked, New England forced to punt. Miami will take over at their own 30.

9:35- 1st down run by Drake; if they don’t get a stop soon, this game is over.

8:50- Drake with a gain of four, 2nd & 6…

8:07- Grant with the drop of a sure touchdown, and on the next play Eric Rowe came on the blitz, forcing the throwaway. The Patriots offense will try once again to cut this lead to three. Dolphins 27, Patriots 17

7:29- Seven-yard gain on the catch by Lewis, 2nd & 3…

5:17- New England will try this again. 1st & 10 from their own 22…

4:29- Patriots forced to punt on their 7th three-and-out. Tough game for the Pats offense. It appears that the road win streak will come to an end.

3:11- 1st down catch, and this game is over.

2:47- Drake tackled for a loss of two, and the Patriots call timeout.

2:39- Five-yard gain by Landry on the catch, 3rd & 5…

2:34- Miami throws on 3rd down, an odd choice. New England still has a timeout and the two minute warning to stop the clock. Time for Brady to go off.

2:12- Cooks with a catch for 39 yards before the two-minute warning. New England needs a quick score, and then they would try the onside kick. Either a field goal or a touchdown, and it needs to happen asap.

2:00- New England gets all types of lucky on the last play; holding on Miami, and also a late hit sets the Patriots up at the 20.

1:40- Brady drills Amendola with the ball, and he takes it to the goal line. 1st & Goal…

1:19- Wow, they are just dumb tonight. Illegal motion by White, 1st & Goal again, from the six…

1:12- Hogan made the catch, but couldn’t get both feet down. 2nd & Goal from the six…

1:09- Holding on Solder. This is a bad night. Belichick is going to have a field day in film.

1:03- Brady is getting mauled, but he got away to throw it incomplete. 3rd & Goal from the 15…

:57- Howard interferes AGAIN and gets away with it AGAIN. Gostkowski will attempt the field goal…and it is good. The Patriots cut it to seven, and now they will go onside with plenty of time to make something happen, if they recover.

:53- This one is done. Gostkowski did a weird middle of the field kick, and Chung gets hurt on the unconventional (stupid) alignment. Brady was 0-11 on third down tonight, and the Patriots made Jay Cutler look good.

FINAL SCORE- MIAMI DOLPHINS 27, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 20

Thank you for joining us tonight, although the game was disappointing. Be sure to join us for the game of the season next week as the Patriots head to Pittsburgh to battle for the top seed in the AFC.