The Miami Dolphins made just enough good plays to defeat the New England Patriots but also committed enough mistakes to lose to almost any other team.
They had a blocked punt, two missed field goals—one that hit the upright and another from a bad snap. There was also a snap that went over the quarterback’s head, which took Miami out of range for another field goal attempt, and an interception that led to the Patriots’ only touchdown.
“Some of the things that we’re shooting ourselves in the foot with right now, it was a full team win to be able to overcome those issues,” said fullback Alec Ingold, who scored Miami’s only touchdown in a 15-10 victory on Sunday.
“We know that that’s not acceptable. It’s not up to the standard,” he added. “We all know we need to tighten that up.”
In a game featuring two of the NFL’s struggling teams, filled with penalties, missed kicks, and poor clock management, Miami took the lead for good when Ingold scored with four minutes left on his only carry of the game.
The Dolphins (2-3) then had to endure two more possessions from the Patriots—one included a touchdown that was reversed after a replay review, and the other ended when New England completed a pass at the Miami 11 but couldn’t stop the clock.
“Honestly, nothing was good,” said Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who completed 18 of 34 passes for 160 yards. “Penalties in the wrong situations, in bad situations. We’re not good enough to do that, to go backwards and try to score points.”
Jason Sanders kicked three field goals for Miami to help them win despite the three special teams mistakes, marking their first victory since quarterback Tua Tagovailoa went out with a concussion in Week 2.
