After having the opportunity to win against the Miami Dolphins and clinch home-field advantage in the AFC, the Patriots made a decision to lose and secure the No. 2 seed in the AFC. Also: the Patriots have a first-round bye, which means Brady will have two weeks to heal before facing the Texans, Chiefs or Bengals in Gillette Stadium on January 16.
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“Teams are no longer afraid to play the Patriots”, Harrison said on NBC’s Football Night in America, where he is an analyst.
Brady completed just 12 of 21 passes for a season-low 134 yards and no touchdowns. He’s going to be one of the best players in the league and I believe that wholeheartedly.
Miami missed a chance to go up 6-0 early in the second quarter when kicker Andrew Franks’ 46 yard attempt missed wide right. It will also give Brady two weeks to recover from the ankle injury. “And then we’ll talk about what we feel is the best way to use our time, most productive way to use it as a staff and as our team, whether it be individual players or different units, but how to get the most out of the time that we have available”.
The Patriots went back to the ground gamebut had little luck in that area as the Dolphins’ defense came up with multiple impact plays as they routinely stopped the Patriots’ running backs behind the line of scrimmage. It was one the most uninspired, unproductive passing days in Brady’s career in New England. Without current left tackle Sebastian Vollmer, Brady was under duress and took a beating. Bill Belichick even took his headset off before the two-minute warning. Brady didn’t miss a snap after hobbling off the field and getting his ankle taped, but after the game he admitted that he was in pain, although he seemed irritated with the play.
But Belichick’s plan, unlike last week’s gamble in overtime, at least worked out because New England escaped their final regular season contest seemingly without any further injuries.
Five teams essentially are co-favorites to win the Super Bowl, according to Las Vegas oddsmakers. The only big play of the day in the air came on James White 68-yard catch-and-run to set up New England’s only touchdown on the first drive of the second half.
New England tied the game midway through the second quarter on a field goal by Stephen Gostkowski. Since the Broncos won, the Patriots will claim the second seed in the AFC and a first-round bye.
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But that was it for the Patriots offense, and Dolphins linebacker Kelvin Sheppard said the hard hits on Brady had a “tremendous” effect on New England. TE Jordan Cameron capped off the series with a touchdown to move Miami into the lead 17-10.
