Pats blow shot at bye as Miami stuns New England
Patriots must play in wild-card round after Kansas City’s win over Chargers
Ryan Fitzpatrick tossed a five-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mike Gesicki with just 24 seconds left in the game as the Miami Dolphins upset the host New England Patriots 27-24 on Sunday at Foxborough, Mass.
The Patriots (12-4), who started the season 8-0, could have clinched a first-round playoff bye with the win.
Instead, their loss combined with Kansas City’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers dropped the Pats to the No. 3 seed — and means New England must play in the wild-card round while the Chiefs get the bye.
This will mark the first time since 2009 the Patriots did not get a first-round bye in the playoffs.
That season, New England won the AFC East but lost in the wildcard round to Baltimore.
Since Tom Brady became New England’s starting quarterback, the Patriots have had to play in the wild-card round three times.
They are 2-1 in wild-card games and failed to reach the Super Bowl in those three post-seasons.
Miami (5-11), which started this season 0-7, won at New England for the first time since 2008. The Dolphins entered this game as 16-point underdogs.
Brady, who passed for 221 yards and two touchdowns with one interception, is 15-2 at home against Miami.
Fitzpatrick completed 28 of41 passes for 320 yards and one touchdown, with no interceptions.
Dolphins receiver Devante Parker had a big game with eight catches for 137 yards.
But one of Miami’s biggest moments came in the second quarter, when former Patriots cornerback Eric Rowe scored on a 35-yard interception return.
It was Rowe’s first interception of the season and the first picksix Brady has ever thrown against Miami.
Miami, beaten 43-0 at home by the Patriots on Sept. 15, got off to a great start on Sunday, taking a 10-0 lead on Jason Sanders’ 27-yard field goal and Rowe’s picksix.
Rowe stepped in front of Julian Edelman to make his play.
But New England went into halftime tied 10-10 on Nick Folk’s 25-yard field goal and Sony Michel’s four-yard scoring run.
The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter. Fitzpatrick scrambled for a two-yard score, and linebacker Elandon Roberts — who moonlights as a fullback — caught a 38-yard TD pass from Brady, breaking a tackle along the way. It was Roberts’ first career catch.
Miami took a 20-17 lead on Sanders’ 32-yard field goal with 8:29 left in the fourth.
New England took its first lead of the game, 24-20, on an eightplay, 60-yard drive that ended with a third-and-goal screen pass to James White that became a 13-yard touchdown.
Fitzpatrick then rallied Miami, engineering a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, with the flip to Gesicki at the end.
Brady tried to force overtime with a potential field-goal drive, but the Patriots could only gain 12 yards on five plays.
PACKERS PREVAIL
Mason Crosby kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired to give the Green Bay Packers a 23-20 victory over the host Detroit Lions.
The winning boot allowed the Packers (13-3) to clinch a firstround bye for the NFC playoffs.
The Lions (3-12-1) lost their ninth straight game despite holding a 17-3 halftime lead.
Aaron Rodgers overcame a miserable first half to finish 27 of 55 passing for 323 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Aaron Jones rushed for 100 yards and Davante Adams caught seven passes for 93 yards.
Having failed once to get the go-ahead score, Green Bay took possession at its 17-yard line with 1:20 remaining. An unnecessary-roughness penalty on safety Tavon Wilson after a short run by Rodgers and completions of four yards to Geronimo Allison and 11 yards to Marquez Valdes-scantling set up the play of the game.
With Rodgers under pressure, he checked it down to Jones, who broke two tackles en route to a 31-yard gain to the Lions’ 20.
Four plays later, Crosby, who missed four field goals and one extra point in last year’s game at Detroit, connected on the game-winning boot.
The Lions received a combined 160 rushing yards from Ty Johnson, Kerryon Johnson and Bo Scarbrough.
Lions third-string quarterback David Blough was intercepted by linebacker Blake Martinez midway through the fourth quarter to help Green Bay get the tying points. The score came when Rodgers fired a bullet to Allen Lazard for a 28-yard touchdown to tie the score at 20 with 5:19 remaining.
The Lions dominated the first half en route to a 17-3 lead.
Rodgers was 6 of 18 passing for 90 yards. He overthrew several receivers, including Jones on what should have been easy 14-yard touchdown. Instead, Crosby kicked a 32-yard field goal to cut the margin to 14-3 with 20 seconds left in the half.
The Lions answered just before half, as running back Ty Johnson broke a tackle and gained 40 yards to set up Matt Prater’s 42-yard field goal as time expired.
Green Bay finally got in the end zone late in the third quarter on Rodgers’ 20-yard touchdown pass to Adams.
Brady tried to force overtime with a potential field-goal drive, but the Patriots could only gain 12 yards on five plays.