The Miami Dolphins enter Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots looking to build on their first victory of the 2026 season. Through 30 minutes, it looked like Miami might actually be able to string together back-to-back wins.
Then the second half happened.
The Dolphins took a 13-3 halftime lead before watching the Patriots score 21 unanswered points to take control of the game. Miami’s offense was lost, its defense couldn’t find an answer for Drake Maye, and the return of Ollie Gordon II provided an unfortunate reminder that the Dolphins still have growing to do.
The Dolphins and head coach Jeff Hafley are now left wondering what could have been after another disappointing afternoon.
Let’s take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly from Miami’s 24-19 loss to the Patriots.
Miami’s first half performance
Miami entered halftime with a 13-3 lead over New England with strong performances on both sides of the football.
The defense created an early turnover when Jacob Rodriguez forced an Efton Chism fumble with a thrilling peanut punch, and Miami’s offense capitalized on the opportunity with a field goal. Malik Willis and the offense finally put together a touchdown drive late in the second quarter when Willis completed a one-yard touchdown pass to Malik Washington with eight seconds left in the half, giving Miami a 10-point lead.
This is the kind of drive the Dolphins desperately need. The touchdown gave Willis and the offense some much-needed momentum heading into the locker room.
Unfortunately, the momentum quickly disappeared, as did the Miami Dolphins lead…
Miami’s second half performance
As good as the Dolphins played in the first half, the second half saw the team fall back to earth. Miami was outscored 21-6 in the second half, allowing Drake Maye and the Patriots to walk (and throw) everything at them en route to a crushing loss.
Maye and the Patriots came out of the locker room looking like a very different offense. The Patriots quarterback connected with Kyle Williams for a long 43-yard touchdown early in the third quarter, then led another scoring drive that ended with a two-yard touchdown run of his own.
The biggest problem wasn’t that the Patriots scored 21 points in the game’s final two quarters — it was how quickly Miami lost control of a game it spent the first half in control of.
Hafley and his coaching staff will need to go back to the drawing-board to figure out how to prevent Miami from losing another double-digit halftime lead as the season goes on.
Ollie Gordon II had an ugly display on the Miami sideline following the penalty
There’s a difference between being frustrated and allowing that frustration to boil over into something that costs your team.
Ollie Gordon II crossed that line on Sunday.
Early in the third quarter, Gordon was called for a teasing penalty after a short run against the Patriots. The 15-yard penalty was devastating, and head coach Jeff Hafley responded by pulling Gordon to the sideline and reminding the young player of his mistake.
Gordon did not take kindly to that decision.
The running back was seen yelling at Hafley on the sideline, with Malik Willis also caught in the tackle. No one criticizes Gordon for being competitive. The young man plays hard and wants to win. Those are good things.
But there is a time and place for that kind of emotion.
Gordon just made a penalty that hurt his team. Instead of accepting the outcome and moving on, he turned the situation into an ugly sideline spectacle. Gordon was thrust into an important role following De’Von Achane’s season-ending knee injury, and the Dolphins need him to be productive. But they also need him to be held accountable for his actions.
Gordon has shown a lot of promise this year — he has the talent to be a key part of Miami’s offense, not only this season, but moving forward as well.
Now he has to show that he can also handle the emotional side of the game.
The Dolphins snatched defeat from the jaws of victory Sunday against the Patriots. The loss dropped the team’s record to 1-6 on the year. Do you think they can get back on the right side of the scoreboard with a victory over the visiting Detroit Lions next week? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter at @MBrave13. Flip up.