Tyreek Hill succinctly summed up his assessment of the Dolphins’ much-needed 15-10 win at New England, and he did it in a tweet.
“Great teams find ways to win ugly games,” Hill tweeted.
Miami (2-3) scored 12 unanswered points to erase a 10-3 deficit, punctuating the comeback with a 15-play, 80-yard drive and a 3-yard Alec Ingold run to take a 15-10 lead with 4:24 left in the game.
Hill, who caught six passes for 69 yards, snagged a 21-yard reception to begin that drive, then watched as Miami’s ground game did the rest. The Dolphins ran the ball 11 times on that march, including 16- and 8-yard gains by rookie Jaylen Wright to set up Ingold’s touchdown. Raheem Mostert also powered up the middle for 18 yards on the drive to pierce New England’s red zone.
Wright (13 carries, 86 yards) and Mostert (19 carries, 80 yards) made welcome contributions after running back De’Von Achane left late in the first quarter with a concussion and did not return. Miami rushed for a season-high 193 yards.
“I just feel like it all came together in that second half,” said Wright. “I feel like we were getting good movement, thanks to the O-line, getting up to the second and third level, opening seams for the running backs.”
Wright and the Dolphins overcame stellar play from New England shutdown corner Christian Gonazalez, including a diving interception on a Tyler Huntley pass intended for Odell Beckham, setting up New England’s touchdown. Activated prior to the game, Beckham made his Dolphins debut but was held without a catch.
Gonzalez also made key plays on Hill, who became a defensive back in knocking away another potential Gonzalez interception in the end zone, and Jaylen Waddle. The cornerback stopped Waddle short of the sticks on third-and-13, forcing Miami to kick a field goal to make it 10-9.
After Ingold’s touchdown, Jacoby Brissett led New England on a valiant fourth-quarter drive, appearing to connect with Ja’lynn Polk on a 12-yard, go-ahead touchdown pass near the goalpost with only a minute remaining. However, the replay official ruled Polk did not make the catch and Miami’s defense proceeded to snuff out the Patriots’ final two plays.
Brissett was 18 of 24 for 160 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions, after a week filled with calls for New England (1-4) to start rookie Drake Maye.
But the Patriots got a strong response from running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who didn’t start in favor of Antonio Gibson after Stevenson had fumbled in each of New England’s first four games. Stevenson had 89 yards on 12 carries, including a 33-yard touchdown.
Next week, Miami gets a Week 6 bye while the Patriots host Houston (4-1).
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