The Dolphin
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- Mar 19, 2019
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The Patriots got off to a slow start on Sunday afternoon against the Dolphins, but they found some life before halftime in New England.
After a 12-play drive that ended in a field goal, the Patriots hit their biggest offensive play of the day to set up a four-yard Sony Michel touchdown run that tied the game at 10 just ahead of the two minute warning.
That play was a 50-yard strike from Tom Brady to Phillip Dorsett that more than doubled Brady’s passing yardage for the day. He was 4-of-11 for 42 yards to that point in the game, including a couple of incompletions in the end zone ahead of the Nick Folk field goal.
New England passed on a shot at adding to their total before the quarter was out. They stopped Patrick Laird for no gain on third-and-10 with about 100 seconds left in the half, but opted not to call timeout and then ran out the clock once they got the ball.
The Dolphins put together an 80-yard drive for a Jason Sanders field goal and saw Eric Rowe return a Brady interception for their lone touchdown of the half. They also tried a bit of trickery at the end of their first drive when they called for punter Matt Haack to try a pass that fell incomplete and left the Patriots with good field position.
They couldn’t do anything with it at that point and Belichick’s decision at the end of the half suggests there’s not overwhelming faith about the unit’s capabilities despite the late flurry of points.