New England Patriots: 5 observations from meltdown in Miami
The wrong running game was effective
The Miami Dolphins running backs, not the New England Patriots running backs were the story of this game.
While Kenyan Drake will go down as the hero, both Frank Gore and old friend Brandon Bolden made plays throughout the game that kept the Dolphins in the game.
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Let’s start with Gore.
On Sunday, the 35-year-old running back reverted back to his youth rushing for 92 yards on just 12 carries. That’s right, the Patriots’ defense allowed Gore to rush for 7.7 yards per carry. In doing so, Frank Gore passed LaDainian Tomlinson for 5th place on the NFL all-time list for yards from scrimmage.
The production not only sparked the Dolphins’ offense, but also propelled former Patriots running back Brandon Bolden to run through his former team. Bolden scored two rushing touchdowns, including a 54-yard touchdown on his first carry of the game.
Conversely, the New England Patriots running game never got on target.
Despite James Develin rushing for another touchdown (his fourth in three games), neither Sony Michel or Rex Burkhead could get going in the game. Much of that was due to Tom Brady’s target practice against the Dolphins’ secondary but give Miami’s front seven credit as well.