Patriots get by the Dolphins, Win 23-16

Hey Guys!


(Ya know you like that)

The Patriots defeated the Miami Dolphins Sunday by a score of 23-16. The Patriots have clinched the AFC East title and will be going to the playoffs this year, once again, no surprise. Now let me say right now that this was definitely not the best game the Patriots have played. Coming off high scoring games they're last 4 games, the Patriots only scored 23 points. Did I expect them to score a ton of points again? No. They couldn't keep it up for so long. Everyone was off their game today, except the defense. The defense actually did a great job. Tom Brady did not complete a lot of passes and he only threw 1 touchdown, keeping his touchdown pass streak to 44. The offense didn't get a lot of rushing yards and Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez were the ones who shined. We first scored in the first quarter with Stevan Ridley running it to the end zone. Miami would then get a field goal to make it 7-3. After that Tom Brady and Wes Welker would work together to score a touchdown by having Brady throw to Welker, who ran a little for a touchdown. The score would then be 14-3. Stephen Gostowski would then kick it for a field goal to make it 17-3. The Dolphins would score a touchdown off of their rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill running it for a touchdown. At the end of the first half the score would be 17-10. The 3rd quarter was scoreless and the 4th quarter we would get a field goal to make it 20-10. Then Miami would get a field goal to make it 20-13. And once again we would get a field goal to make it 23-13. ONE MORE TIME, the Dolphins would get a field goal to make it 23-16. We would then have possession of the ball and would hold let the clock run to the end of the game. This was a close game for the Pats and at some points it was nerve wrecking. Brady was not on his A game and neither was the offense at some points. Let's break down the grades now.

Quarterback B

I'm sorry but Brady is getting a B. He only completed 24 out of 40 passes. He threw for 238 yards and had an interception. He also only threw for one touchdown. He should have done better and should be getting A's. Some of his throws weren't good either, some being overthrown to our offense. Still, he did help us on the last drive of the game.

Offense B

Offense is getting a B because of Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez. Welker got 11 passes and Hernandez caught 8 passes, very good. Both caught for a lot of yards too. Now for the rest of the offense... Ehh... I don't have much to say. I mean, Ridley did run for 71 yards and got a touchdown but it wasn't his best performance we've seen. Other than that the rest of our offense did not do a great job and it wasn't their best performances either.

Defense A-

Our defense did a great job, only letting up 16 points. Our offensive line did let up 4 sacks. Our defense had 3 sacks today and 2 came from one player, Trevor Scott. Some of our players had a lot of tackles too including 6 tackles from Kyle Arrington. Hopefully he won't test positive for a performance enhancing substance like Jermaine Cunningham.

Kicking B+
The B+ all goes to Stephen Gostowski for making 3 out 4 field goals and 2 out of 2 extra points. Once again he missed one field goal which has been an ongoing problem for him. I think after he missed that first field goal he performed better.

Stats (On Important Players)

Quarterback: 
Tom Brady: 24/40 - 238 Yards - 1 Touchdown - 1 Interception

Offense: Receiving:
Wes Welker: 12 Receptions - 103 Yards - 1 Touchdown
Aaron Hernandez: 8 Receptions - 97 Yards

Rushing: 
Stevan Ridley: 71 Yards - 1 Touchdown

Defense: 
Kyle Arrington: 6 Tackles
Alfonzo Dennard: 5 Tackles
Jerod Mayo: 5 Tackles - 1 Sack
Brandon Spikes: 4 Tackles
Brandon Deaderick: 3 Tackles
Rob Ninkovich: 3 Tackles
Trevor Scott: 3 Tackles - 2 Sacks
Vince Wilfork: 2 Tackles - 1 Fumble Recovery

Kicking:
Stephen Gostowski: 3/4 on Field Goals 2/2 on Extra Points

Throughout most of the game the Patriots looked intimidated to the Dolphins. Brady struggled to make passes, our offense dropped passes, and our running backs were pushed back sometimes. I think the Patriots our going to perform better throughout the rest of the season and in the playoffs, they just had an off game today, that's all. Anyway, what do you think? Do you think they struggled in this game? Comment!

- DJ