Patriots avert disaster vs. Dolphins with big second half from Drake Maye to keep pace in stacked AFC playoff race
Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins was a microcosm of the New England Patriots' season.
Quarterback Drake Maye was terrible early, and the Patriots were trailing on the scoreboard. He then turned it on late to rally past the Dolphins to a 24-19 win.
With the win, the Patriots have won four of their past five games following a concerning 1-2 start. And they improved to 5-3 to keep pace in what's shaping up as a competitive AFC playoff race.
Patriots score 24 straight after slow start
The Patriots went into halftime without a touchdown and trailing a one-win Dolphins team, 13-3. Maye had thrown for 53 yards and taken two sacks as Miami's offense had outgained New England's 123 yards to 97.
But the third quarter belonged to the Patriots. New England dominated the ball and the scoreboard with a 14-0 advantage in the frame to seize control and avert disaster against a bad Dolphins team.
Maye accounted for both touchdowns in the third quarter. One arrived via a 43-yard deep ball to Kyle Williams.
The second arrived courtesy of a nifty juke on a designed run from the 2-yard line that gave New England a 17-13 lead.
Maye's second touchdown pass extended New England's lead to 24-13 with 12:39 remaining, and the Patriots appeared to be in complete control. This one came courtesy of a 48-yard catch-and-run by Demario Douglas through the Miami secondary.
But the Dolphins weren't done. They struck back with a 35-yard touchdown from Malik Willis to Kevin Coleman Jr. to cut New England's lead to 24-19 with 2:04 remaining, putting pressure back on Maye and his offense.
The Patriots responded, thanks to a tough 5-yard run from Rhamondre Stevenson on third-and-5 that secured a first down and allowed New England to run out the clock.
Maye finished his day completing 16-of-20 passes for 199 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers. He added a third touchdown on the ground as New England scored all three of its TDs after halftime.
The win for the Patriots was key in an AFC playoff race in which eight teams will leave Sunday's games at 5-3 or better.
Source: Sports
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