FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Rhamondre Stevenson scored two touchdowns while Drake Maye threw for one and New England defeated Miami 38-10 to complete its season series sweep and secure their second seed in the AFC playoffs.
On their inaugural possession in New England Patriots Vs Miami Dolphins Match Player Stats, Jack Gibbens forced a fumble that Elijah Ponder recovered as their first turnover of the game, setting the tone early. Andy Borregales would later kick a 59-yard field goal to extend the advantage.
| Date | Match Result | Winner | Key Player Stats | Match Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04 Jan 2026 | Patriots 38 – 10 Dolphins | New England Patriots | Rhamondre Stevenson: 3 TDs, Drake Maye: TD pass | Patriots dominated to secure AFC 2nd seed |
| 14 Sep 2025 | Patriots 33 – 27 Dolphins | New England Patriots | Drake Maye: 3 total TDs, Antonio Gibson: return TD | Strong comeback and special teams impact (ESPN.com) |
| 24 Nov 2024 | Dolphins 34 – 15 Patriots | Miami Dolphins | Balanced offense, strong defensive pressure | Dolphins controlled game with turnovers and discipline |
| 17 Sep 2023 | Dolphins 24 – 17 Patriots | Miami Dolphins | Tua Tagovailoa: efficient passing | Close contest with Miami edging late |
| 08 Jan 2023 | Dolphins 11 – 6 Patriots | Miami Dolphins | Defensive battle, limited offense | Low-scoring game decided by defense |
Rookie QB Quinn Ewers
Miami recently made the decision to bench Tua Tagovailoa and turn to rookie QB Quinn Ewers as its starting quarterback in its last three regular-season games, beginning two of them this past weekend when Ewers completed 59% of his passes and amassed 254 yards before throwing for one touchdown.
Ewers has shown impressive pocket awareness and strength during his two starts, and was willing to stand in the pocket and deliver under duress.
Unfortunately, however, his accuracy on longer throws was inconsistent; with only 47% completion rates at 10 air yards or longer and 60% off target percentage.
He struggled with his awareness of pass rush. On some occasions, he would be completely unaware of defenders and receive hard blows, while other times he would detect pressure immediately and respond accordingly.
Ewers has struggled with his long-ball touch and arm strength; however, his size allows him to still play his position effectively. His presence reminds me somewhat of former Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy; both possess impressive height and size as well as strong arms but do not possess cannon arm strength to take defenses deep.
Ewers was known for his impressive short-window accuracy. He could find open targets on quick screens, quick outs and flare routes; these type of plays accounted for more than two-thirds (28.3%) of his pass attempts in 2024 – leading many teams to target him late-round in their draft process.
Rookie RB TreVeyon Henderson
Henderson has been the Patriots’ standout rookie running back this season and currently ranks second on their rushing yards list. Additionally, he leads all Patriots rookies since 2000 in terms of touchdown rushing scores scored, and is on pace to pass 1,000 yards by Sunday’s game against Miami Dolphins.
Henderson will face a key test against the Dolphins after having achieved a season-best rushing performance against Buffalo last week.
He hopes to add to his total rushing touchdowns for 2018, while maintaining an 8.2-average rushing average (his current career best).
Henderson managed to gain 41 rushing yards on five attempts against the Bills and two more against the Jets for a total of 10 touchdowns in 2018. That number ranks third-most among Patriots rookies since 2000 behind Rob Gronkowski and Mac Jones.
Henderson got off to an outstanding start for New England in the first quarter, breaking through their defense and scoring on a 2-yard touchdown run to put them up 7-0. They would follow that with a 10-play, 65-yard scoring drive featuring several big plays such as an 82-yard catch from Efton Chism III on a flea flicker play.
After an unsuccessful three-and-out by the Patriots offense, the Dolphins drove into New England territory with less than two minutes remaining in the half. But once there, their defense held strong to prevent any scoring opportunities; specifically Tyrel Dodson and Jack Gibbens who both contributed by blocking off fourth down attempts respectively.
In the third quarter, the Patriots increased their lead further after Bryce Baringer punted long enough to pin the Dolphins at their 11-yard line. Later in this quarter, Henderson would power through defenders to score on a 1-yard run for another Patriot touchdown and make it 24-0 and put control of the game into their hands.
Henderson continued his strong running game into the fourth quarter, helping the Patriots extend their lead further. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski then hit a field goal to seal off their win and earn the second seed in AFC playoffs and an at-home wild-card matchup against Los Angeles Chargers.
Rookie WR Theo Wease Jr.
Drake Maye made an immediate impactful statement during his first game as New England Patriots quarterback, throwing for 191 yards and one touchdown against Miami Dolphins on November 15th in his replacement of Tom Brady due to injury.
New England also improved to 14-3 for their 10-game turnaround (tied with 1999 Indianapolis Colts and 2008 Miami Dolphins), earning them second seed in AFC playoffs while also becoming just the third coach ever (George Seifert of San Francisco in 1989 and Jim Caldwell of Indianapolis 2009) ever to achieve such results so soon after taking over as head coach!
Head coach Mike Vrabel joined George Seifert (1989 with San Francisco) and Jim Caldwell (2009 with Indianapolis) as only coaches in NFL history to win 14 games during their initial seasons coaching an NFL team (George Seifert 1989 with San Francisco and Jim Caldwell 2009 with Indianapolis).
The Patriots scored two touchdowns in the second quarter to put away any chance for comebacks from their opponent, leaving no room for doubt. Wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. scored his inaugural career touchdown off of Quinn Ewers’ 1-yard pass before running back Sony Michel capped off another long scoring drive by scoring another 2-yard score – leaving their opponents no chance to catch back up.
Linebackers Tyrel Dodson and Jordyn Brooks made an outstanding fourth-down stop that stopped the Dolphins’ opening drive of the second half, giving New England control at their own 37-yard line.
A Morgan Moses holding penalty and Hunter Henry offensive pass interference call pushed Dolphins backward to their 40-yard line before Jack Gibbens forced a fumble which Jack Gibbens recovered for New England, setting up Andy Borregales to attempt a 30-yard field goal attempt but DT Christian Jones blocked it allowing New England control with two minutes remaining before taking control with just under two minutes remaining before taking over with just under two minutes remaining until halftime.
On their next possession, a quick three-play drive from New England resulted in Riley Patterson scoring a 51-yard field goal. Following Miami’s punt kickoff, Patriots offense drove downfield for another field goal – this time from Stephen Gostkowski at 52 yards.
After scoring three consecutive field goals, the Patriots extended their advantage in the fourth quarter with a 6-yard touchdown run by Michel. His score brought his total for 2025 up to 11, making this game just one of five this year that featured four rushing touchdowns from one player for New England.
Rookie WR Malik Washington
Washington could become an integral component of the Dolphins’ receiving corps this season, given his strong frame, good hands, smart route running skills and strong run blocking. Miami brought in veteran wideouts Tutu Atwell and Jalen Tolbert as depth measures but neither are expected to earn high-volume targets like Washington does; thus making him potentially valuable asset in dynasty formats.
After an uneventful first quarter, Miami finally got underway in the second. QB Quinn Ewers led them on an effective short drive using both runs and quick passes; ending it off with play action pass to Washington who scored for 2 yards to narrow New England’s advantage to 14-7.
The Patriots defense continued to restrict the Dolphins running game in the third quarter. Linebacker Jack Gibbens forced a fumble on Jaylen Wright that was recovered by safety Brandon Meriweather for Gibbens to record his inaugural forced fumble of 2018.
On the next Patriots possession, TE Rob Gronkowski caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from WR Julian Edelman – his 210th reception ever and breaking a tie with WR Jerry Rice as most receptions ever by a tight end in NFL history.
Miami responded with its most effective drive of the half, using quick runs and short completions from Ewers to wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. for 25 yards before throwing an end-around pass to Washington for 10 more. Finally, this drive concluded with TreVeyon Henderson scoring from 1-yard out, trimming New England’s lead down to 21-10 at halftime.
The Patriots scored three rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter to seal their win against the Dolphins, led by Ralph Wilson’s 3-yard scoring run and Mike Tolbert’s 2-yard touchdown run for two scores that totalled seven for Jordan Matthews this season – giving him seven in four games! Their win brought them a 14-3 record and tied 1999 Indianapolis Colts and 2008 Miami Dolphins for best turnaround turnaround ever seen in NFL history.
