Dolphins jolt Pats, denying them bye
The New England Patriots of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick never have made the Super Bowl while playing in the wild-card playoff round. They’ll have to make some more franchise history to win another NFL title.
It wasn’t quite like last season’s “Miami Miracle” loss. It could be much more impactful.
The Dolphins dropped New England into the wild-card round when Ryan Fitzpatrick tossed a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mike Gesicki with 24 seconds remaining for a stunning 27-24 victory Sunday.
New England (12-4) will have to play in the opening weekend of the postseason for the first time since 2009.
“We didn’t play the way we were capable of playing and it ended up costing us,” six-time champion Brady said. “Just too many bad mistakes.”
The Dolphins (5-11) scored on a wild series of laterals on the final play to win the second meeting between the teams last season, in Miami.
This time, it was Fitzpatrick’s turn to provide all the magic
heavy underdog Miami needed to end its AFC rival’s streak of nine straight first-round playoff byes.
After trailing throughout the game, Brady threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to James White to put New England in front 24-20 with 3:53 left. But Fitzpatrick, who finished 28 of 41 for 320 yards and a touchdown, was unflappable, leading Miami on a 13-play, 75-yard drive that included him recovering a fumbled snap, and completing a 24-yard pass to DeVante Parker.
“I know how difficult it is to beat them,” Fitzpatrick said. “I know how difficult it really is to beat them at home. I’m proud of what we did out there today.”
It also gave first-year Dolphins coach Brian Flores, who spent 15 seasons as a New England assistant, a season split with former boss Belichick. Miami finished the season 5-4 after an 0-7 start.
“It took all 60 minutes,” Flores said. “I’m proud of that group.”
For New England it’s a head-scratching conclusion to a regular season that has been filled with inconsistency.
The Patriots won their first eight games, then split the next eight, including the rarity of two losses at home.
New England’s defense, which entered the week ranked No. 1 in the NFL, allowed the Dolphins to rack up 389 yards and go 5 of 12 on third downs. The Patriots were allowing teams a league-low 23% on third down entering the day.
“Nobody feels sorry for the Patriots not getting a first-round bye in the playoffs,” safety Devin McCourty. “We gotta move forward and get ready to go or the end of our season will be next week if we don’t turn the page and play good football way better than today.”
This is also the second straight season the Dolphins have denied the Patriots an unbeaten division record. Despite winning 11 straight AFC East titles, New England has only finished 6-0 in division play twice: in 2007 and 2012.
Miami (5-11) made New England play catch-up for most of the game and led 10-0 early and 20-17 in the fourth quarter.
Brady finished 16 of 29 for 221 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He went over 4,000 yards for the 11th time in his career, tying him with Philip Rivers for fourth on the alltime list.
The Dolphins drove inside the Patriots 20 early in the fourth quarter, but settled for a 32-yard field goal by Jason Sanders to take a 20-17 lead with 8:29 remaining.
Brandon Bolden gave the Patriots good field position, taking the ensuing kickoff and returning it 38 yards to the New England 40. Rex Burkhead rushed 14 yards on the first play to get the Patriots across the 50.
Brady completed a short pass to Ben Watson, followed by a 20-yard strike to Mohamed Sanu. Three plays later, Brady connected with White for the go-head score. But it wasn’t enough. The Dolphins made it clear from the outset that they weren’t going to allow the Patriots to coast. Miami took a 10-0 lead in the second quarter when Eric Rowe stepped in front of Brady’s pass to Julian Edelman and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown. It was Brady’s first career pick-6 against the Dolphins.
It also marked the first time the Dolphins led the Patriots by double digits since Week 8 of the 2013 season. New England won that game 27-17.