5 leftover thoughts on Sunday’s shocking loss to the Dolphins

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Before we get on a plane to head back to New England, a few random notes on what happened Sunday after a quick rewatch of the game.

1. Devin McCourty should have been on the field at the end of the game.

He’s not the biggest or most physical presence, but every time the veteran defensive back comes off the field, your defense is worse because of it. That’s the simple truth. McCourty played every snap on Sunday except for the last one, when he came off the field in place of Rob Gronkowski. I get the decision to have someone big as the last line of defense on those sorts of plays — the Patriots had Josh Gordon there earlier in the season, and Randy Moss was back there in previous years. But regardless of whether or not the opponent runs a Hail Mary or series of laterals like the Dolphins did, McCourty is as smart and as fundamentally sound a player as the Patriots have ever had. He finds a way to make the play in either instance. I have a hard time believing he would have been beaten by Kenyan Drake in that situation.