Three studs and three duds from the Patriots win against the Dolphins

It was far from perfect, but the Patriots’ got the job done and beat the Miami Dolphins 23-21 to keep their playoff hopes alive. Although the Dolphins had their third-string quarterback, they gave the Patriots a fight for most of the game.

The Patriots now look forward to Buffalo. If they win, they will be in. However, if the Patriots lose in week 18, they will need some games to fall their way.

First, let’s look at this past game and examine the studs and duds.

Studs

Tyquan Thornton

Thornton had his best day in a Patriots uniform. The rookie racked up a career-high 60 yards on three receptions. The second-round pick also caught a touchdown, and it was the first touchdown he caught thrown by Mac Jones. Thornton’s speed is exciting for a lackluster Patriots offense. But, if anything is for sure, this was a great performance by the rookie that, hopefully, he will build on.

Kyle Dugger

Kyle Dugger now owns a franchise record for the Patriots, three defensive touchdowns in one season. Dugger has more touchdowns than every Patriot pass catcher not named Jakoki Meyers. The 2020 draft pick impresses the Patriots with his footwork and ball control. Dugger has a fumble return and two interceptions return this season, leading the NFL.

Jonathan Jones

Jonathan Jones had the other interception that helped the Patriots tremendously, although Mac Jones and the offense couldn’t put points on the board after the takeaway. Jonathan Jones is a free agent this offseason and should get paid decently. The Patriots have decided to move on from cornerbacks in the past (Gilmore and Jackson). However, the 29-year-old suffered an injury late in the fourth quarter and could be limited in practice this week.

Duds

Rhamondre Stevenson

After starting the season strong, Stevenson has struggled lately. However, it’s not entirely his fault, the Patriots have been working the second-year running back extremely hard, and it’s showing. Stevenson admitted last week he’s feeling it. This week the Oklahoma product rushed for 42 yards on eight carries. Stevenson only needs 14 yards next week against the Bills to reach the 1000-yard threshold.

Mac Jones

Mac Jones had another mediocre start. The sophomore quarterback didn’t turn the ball over, but he only completed 60% of his passes, throwing 33 passes for 20 completions, and 203 yards with two touchdowns. Jones found Jakboi Meyers and Tyquan Thornton in the endzone and successfully converted two red zone trips for touchdowns. Unfortunately, the Dolphins’ defense was missing key starters, and Jones made it much harder than needed. The Alabama product also had some overthrows, and he often put too much “zip” on his throw. Mac Jones is slowly improving with the rest of the offense, but they need a big performance next week in Buffalo.

Special teams

Yet again, the Patriots had inconsistent play on special teams. Brendon Schooler, the undrafted rookie, made an uncharacteristic mistake when he ran into the Dolphins’ punter on fourth and six. The refs immediately threw his flag, which set up a short fourth-and-one. The Dolphins converted and eventually stomped down the field and scored a touchdown. Furthermore, punter Micheal Palordy had another rough outing as he had three punts under 45 yards and had two touchbacks. The Dolphins won the field position battle today, and the outcome could have been different. The Patriots are lucky they pulled out a win, but if they want to make the playoffs, these self-inflicted mistakes will have to stop.

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