New England Patriots: 5 observations from meltdown in Miami

When Stephen Gostkowski misses kicks

The New England Patriots scored a touchdown on an impressive drive in this one, but a Stephen Gostkowski missed extra point quickly had fans wondering if it would come back to haunt the team.

Recent history has shown, when Gostkowski misses kicks it usually comes back to hurt the team in some way.  Since the Patriots lost by just one point, it is easy to pin this game on the foot of the All-Pro kicker.

Given the fact that he also missed a very makable field goal in the second half, the four points he left on the field has fans calling for his head…or foot.  He definitely doesn’t appear to be a franchise tag candidate in their eyes.

This isn’t just a one game overreaction.  The backlash against Gostkowski is that these missed kicks seem to come in big games.  With the team typically involved in tight games, those kicks end up being the difference in some way.

While Stephen Gostkowski is certainly a scapegoat in this one, he is not the only one.  The New England Patriots certainly had the chance to beat the Dolphins despite his miscues.