We were not hyping this game on The Big Show when we were saying how important it was for the Patriots to beat Miami. The Dolphins were 3-0 in the division and have an easier second-half schedule than the Patriots. This was almost a “must-win” situation, and while it was not perfect, it was a very good win.
OFFENSE: B-
The biggest problem offensively was lack of production in the red zone. Settling for field goals will come back to bite you against better teams. You have to put teams away and you cannot leave points on the table that often.
Tom Brady was good. He was very good when Miami brought added pressure. The interception was a combination of a slightly underthrown ball and a great play by Miami rookie cornerback Vontae Davis. I still think Brady will get even better as the season goes along.
Show me a better receiver duo than Randy Moss and Wes Welker. They complement each other and this offense perfectly. Miami took a couple of chances defensively. The Dolphins played more man-to-man coverage and less over-the-top help on Moss than most other defenses and he made them pay. That stiff arm by Moss was classic. Both locker rooms will have fun with that one.
Ben Watson continues to impress. Watson seems to be gaining confidence each week. Brady and the offensive coaches are gaining confidence in him, too. I did think he would be more of a target in the red zone.
The offensive line performed well. Just the fact that the prolific yapper Joey Porter was completely shut down ups the group’s grade at least one notch. The Dolphins brought an extra pass-rusher almost half the time, but for the most part, the line protected Brady well. Dan Connolly filled in well after Dan Koppen went down. Sebastian Vollmer is getting better each week. He faced a variety of Dolphins pass-rushers and handled them all well. It even looked like he was getting a little less help from the tight ends and backs this week.
Laurence Maroney was running hard. In fact, he seemed so bent on running hard that early on he ran right into his offensive linemen a couple of times. We want that hard-driving attitude, but he still has to use his natural skill. This was a step in the right direction. Kevin Faulk was his usual stellar self. He also is a very good blocker. We sometimes overlook his considerable blitz pick-up skills. BenJarvus Green-Ellis dropped a touchdown pass.
The ineffectiveness in the red zone brings the grade down. The Pats have not been very good against the Dolphins in the scoring zone lately.
DEFENSE: C+
Some missed tackles and poor third-down play kept Miami in the game longer than it deserved. The Wildcat offense was not a huge factor. Rookie QB Pat White had a long run, but for the most part the Pats defense did a decent job against the Wildcat.
The defensive line was an interesting case study of personnel matchups. The injury to Jarvis Green forced Mike Wright into more action. But the Patriots moved their front guys around to get the matchups they wanted. Quite often, we saw Vince Wilfork lined up as the defensive end and Wright moved to the inside. This was done to be a little stronger at the point of attack. The Dolphins love to run over their tackles. Ty Warren and Wilfork at the ends gave the Pats a better front where it mattered the most.
Adalius Thomas had his best effort of the season. He was not great, but he was much more involved than he had previously been. A sack, a tackle for loss and a pass defensed were more than we had seen from him yet. He still has the ability. Maybe this signals a rejuvenation of sorts. Tully Banta-Cain was very active. I counted three hits on the quarterback and some other pressures, too. Jerod Mayo looks like he was never even hurt. He did a good job with some difficult reads against the Wildcat.
There were some missed tackles in the secondary. Brandon Meriweather should never whiff on a 270-pound tight end. The defense was unable to take advantage of many opportunities to get off the field on third down. There were too many third-and-long plays converted. Darius Butler was playing a little soft on the receivers.
Patrick Chung is earning more playing time. There seems to be an abundance of talent at safety all of a sudden. Brandon McGowan played fairly well again, too.
Despite some strong individual performances, overall, the defense played just above average. Miami had a 53 percent success rate on third down, which is entirely too high. The Patriots defense also was unable to stop Miami in the red zone. A 16-play, 10-minute scoring drive by Miami to start the third quarter was painful to watch. No turnovers forced by the defense also hurts the final grade.
SPECIAL TEAMS: A
Ted Ginn Jr. won the Dolphins' game against the Jets in Week 8 with his return skills. Stephen Gostkowski and the kickoff cover unit took Ginn out of the game. Gostkowski had two touchbacks and a third kick into the end zone. The cover team was disciplined and aggressive, not really giving Ginn much room after the first return.
It is a double-edged sword when a kicker has a great day and goes 4-for-4 on field goals. Yes, Gostkowski kicked well and is to be commended, but it usually means your offense bogs down in or near the red zone. Even so, Gostkowski was perfect.
Chris Hanson had three opportunities to drop punts inside the 20 and converted on all three.
COACHING: B+
A few players talked of the halftime adjustments on defense. The Wildcat did look less effective in the second half. The offense was well prepared for the attempted pressure by the Dolphins.
Bill Belichick played an interesting semi-hunch with 3:15 left in the third quarter. After a touchdown that put the Pats ahead 22-17, he went for a two-point conversion. This may have been a little early according to the book, but Belichick was feeling the flow of the game and went for it. Had the Patriots missed the conversion, with that much time left on the clock it would have been very possible for the Dolphins to overcome a deficit of five points.
All in all, it was a good effort, but the Patriots cannot settle for field goals against Indy this week like they had to against Miami, and the defense will have to be better on third down to beat an undefeated Colts team.
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