MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- The Patriots clinch party was spoiled Sunday when Kenyan Drake scored with no time left on the clock to give the Dolphins a shocking 34-33 win.
After a late field goal from Stephen Gostkowski gave New England a 33-28 lead, Miami had one play left with seven seconds remaining. Ryan Tannehill completed a quick pass, and the Dolphins used a series of laterals down the field, with Drake ultimately being the one who took it to the house, just barely sneaking past emergency safety Rob Gronkowski to set off a massive party at Hard Rock Stadium.
The two teams went back and forth over the course of much of the first half, with the Patriots taking a 27-21 lead after two quarters thanks in part to the work of Albert McClellan, who blocked a pair of punts in the first half to give the Pats good field position. New England got early scores from James Develin (2-yard touchdown run), Julian Edelman (2-yard touchdown catch), and Cordarrelle Patterson (37-yard touchdown catch).
New England was shutout in the third quarter, while Miami tacked on a touchdown on the board to push out into a 28-27 lead. The Patriots would take a 30-27 lead on a 32-yard field goal from Stephen Gostkowski with 6:45 remaining, and added another late field goal to make it 33-28. That set the stage for the wild finish that ended up going 69 yards.
IN-GAME UPDATES
4:10 p.m.: Wow. Miami wins, 34-33.
4:06 p.m.: 22-yard field goal is good. 33-28 with 16 seconds left.
3:58 p.m.: Two-minute warning.
3:55 p.m.: Of course Brady was going to Edelman there on the third down. Chains and clock are moving.
3:43 p.m.: If the Ravens hold on in KC, the Pats can make some serious noise here if they can come away with a victory.
3:39 p.m.: 32-yarder for Gostkowski is good. Pats up 30-28 with 6:45 remaining.
3:38 p.m.: Season-high eight catches for Gronkowski so far.
3:31 p.m.: There it is. (Maybe?) Sack from Simon forces a punt. Pats have 5 sacks today.
3:30 p.m.: Pats defense needs a jolt here. Takeaway, tackle for loss, sack....something.
3:22 p.m.: End of the third quarter. Comes to a close with a sack of Brady -- 28-27, Miami. Pats now have no margin for error -- have to get a stop now.
3:20 p.m.: Big game for Gronkowski -- 7 catches for 91 yards and a touchdown with just over a minute left in the third.
3:11 p.m.: That's Brice Butler. Adam Beasley told us Butler was the under-the-radar guy to watch coming into this one, and he clicked with Tannehill right there. A couple of big missed opportunities at the end of the second quarter and start of the third from New England have allowed Miami to take the lead again. It's 28-27 Dolphins with 3:58 left in the third quarter.
3:10 p.m.: As wide open as the first half was, the third quarter has been slow. Not sure if it's been adjustments or the heat slowing people down, but the tempo has slowed a but here in the third quarter.
3:06 p.m.: Gostkowski misses again. That's rough. and opens the door again for Miami here in the third quarter.
3:04 p.m.: Alonso plays with a level of recklessness that's just on the border of dangerous.
3:00 p.m.: Miami fans a bit uneasy here as Pats are on 35.
2:54 p.m.: Adam Butler continues to show up against the run....at least, more than he did as a rookie. Nice improvement.
2:51 p.m.: Sense a bit of momentum swing here. Pats starting to feel it.
2:32 p.m.: Bad way to end the half there. Brady takes the sack, no timeouts, end up losing out on (at least) three points. Not ideal. But New England is up 27-21 at the half.
2:29 p.m.: Offensively, this -- again -- is a throwback game. Brady relying on his old favorites here, Gronkowski and Edelman, to help move the chains.
2:27 p.m.: Punt is deflected. Oh man. Big chance here again for New England.
2:23 p.m.: Tannehill is down. Looks like someone stepped on his ankle or foot. OSWEILER TIME. (Tannehill to the locker room.)
2:19 p.m.: Not sure why we aren't seeing more urgency here at the end of the first half from New England.....and now, the Pats will punt it away. Odd sequence there for New England.
2:14 p.m.: Just the third punt of the day coming up here after the two-minute warning. Again, lots of personnel shuffling as the Pats adjust to the heat. The offense is clicking -- but a throwback game for that group, as Brady has favored old reliables like Edelman and Gronkowski. But the defense needs to pick its game up here for New England.
2:11 p.m.: Interesting sequence on the sideline after that touchdown. Brady was on the ground for a stretch, and it looked like the sideline tent went up in anticipation of the quarterback going for an examination. But nothing happened. Worth keeping an eye on. (FWIW, he's sitting on the bench right now next to McDaniels in his usual position.)
2:09 p.m.: Brady to Gronkowski for a touchdown. Great sequence on that drive for the big tight end, who continues to take all sorts of punishment, but keeps coming back for more. Free release off the line, massive catch radius, Brady putting the ball where only he can go and get it. A throwback throw and catch for them two of them.
2:07 p.m.: Edelman just remains so utterly dependable in those big moments. Another third-down pickup.
2:00 p.m.: So all of us wondering about one ex-Pat all week -- Danny Amendola -- should have been wondering about another one -- Brandon Bolden -- instead. Another rushing touchdown for No. 38 puts Miami up again. Bolden with two carries for 60 yards and a pair of touchdowns. (Bolden had one carry this year coming into Sunday's game.) The Dolphins are up 21-20 with 7:28 left in the first half.
1:57 p.m.: Stats check.
1:52 p.m.: Brady to Patterson puts the Pats up again. A dime from the quarterback -- a great ball from Brady. The Pats are rotating through personnel here because of the temps, so I wouldn't read too much into it. But it was interesting to see Edelman after that third-down catch ask out. Looked more like a heat-related thing, but with his foot, you never know. Anyway, the Pats are back in charge, up 20-14.
1:50 p.m.: First incomplete of the day for the quarterback, and first since midway through the fourth quarter of last week's game.
1:42 p.m.: Bolden gashes his old mates. Again, the run defense with a swing and a miss, and the Dolphins are back on top. It's 14-13 with 13:26 left in the second quarter. It's a small sample size, but Miami has six carries for 116 yards and a touchdown. If I'm Adam Gase, I keep running the ball until the Pats prove they can stop it.
Unusual personnel there by the @dolphins on the TD. They had two halfbacks, Drake and Bolden, on the field together (fourth such snap this season). Bolden 54-yard TD run untouched.
— Mike Sando, ESPN.com (@SandoESPN) December 9, 2018
There goes @BB_HulkSmash!
54 yards to the HOUSE.
?: CBS #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/pdHAKQhURG
— NFL (@NFL) December 9, 2018
Legend. ?
TB12 just threw his 580th career TD. More TD passes than ANYONE in NFL history (including playoffs).
?: CBS #GoPats pic.twitter.com/EpYjzQ1bZd
— NFL (@NFL) December 9, 2018
— Christopher Price (@cpriceNFL) December 9, 2018
