Series history: Dolphins have gotten the better of the Patriots recently

The New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins are division rivals therefore they have played a ton of games against one another. Miami leads the all-time series 59-54 as New England has some ground to make up. In the past five matchups, the Dolphins have taken control of the all-time series going 4-1.

Let’s take a look back on what happened in those five games from the longest ago to most recent.

12/29/19 Dolphins @ Patriots: Miami wins 27-24

What a painful memory for Pats Nation as this is the game that Ryan Fitzpatrick led the Dolphins down the field and scored a game-winning touchdown with less than a minute remaining. This loss cost the Patriots a playoff bye which resulted in them losing Tom Brady’s last game with the team to the Tennessee Titans in the wild card round.

Fitzpatrick threw for 320 yards with one touchdown through the air while adding 15 yards and a touchdown rushing. Former Patriot Eric Rowe had a pick-six in the second quarter and Jason Sanders made two field goals and three extra points to account for all of Miami’s 27 points.

New England got a two-touchdown performance from Brady as he found James White for a 13-yard score and the fullback version of Elandon Roberts for a 38-yard receiving TD. Sony Michel also added 74 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Nick Folks’ three extra points and lone field goal gave the Patriots their 24.

9/13/20 Dolphins @ Patriots: New England wins 21-11

In the first matchup between the two opponents in the post Tom Brady era, the Patriots came out on top. Cam Newton had rushing touchdowns in the first and third quarters to go along with 75 rushing yards for New England. Michel also found the end zone to seal the game late in the fourth and Folk converted all of his extra points.

Fitzpatrick was intercepted three times in this one. Miami’s lone touchdown of the day was a Jordan Howard 1-yard plunge in the fourth quarter that was followed up by a two-point conversion. Sanders made his lone field goal attempt giving the Dolphins an awkward 11 points.

12/20/20 Patriots @ Dolphins: Miami wins 22-12

This game was an ugly one for the Patriots as their only means of scoring were four Folk field goals to give them 12 points.

Tua Tagovailoa had taken over as the starter by this point and scored two rushing touchdowns for Miami. Salvon Ahmed also exploded in this game, rushing for 122 yards with a touchdown and a two-point conversion through the air. Sanders was perfect on his two extra point attempts but missed his lone field goal try giving Miami their 22.

9/12/21 Dolphins @ Patriots: Miami wins 17-16

We are caught all the way up to last year. Mac Jones’ first career game and both teams’ season opener started off with a three-yard rushing score by Tagovailoa followed by a Sanders extra point to go up 7-0. Folk made a field goal in the second and then Jones found Nelson Agholor for his first career passing touchdown (Folk extra point) to make it 10-7 Patriots.

Sanders hit a field goal to tie things up at half at 10 a piece. Miami came out in the third quarter and Tagovailoa found Jaylen Waddle for a 3-yard score to put them up 17-10. New England failed to find the end zone again and tacked on two more Folk field goals.

The team was in position to score the game-winning points late in the fourth quarter, but a Damien Harris fumble at the Miami 9-yard line effectively sealed the deal and New England’s 17-16 loss.

1/9/22 Patriots @ Dolphins: Miami wins 33-24

This game was a blowout from the start and was not as close as the score indicated. Miami jumped out to a 14-0 lead fast behind a Waddle receiving touchdown and a Xavien Howard pick-six. Sanders tacked on a field goal in the second to make it 17-0.

Branden Bolden found the end zone from 15 yards out to finally put the Patriots on the board making it 17-7. Folk then nailed a field goal to make it a one-score game, but the Dolphins responded right back. Another Sanders field goal and a Duke Johnson Jr. rushing touchdown made it 27-10.

New England then scored 14 unanswered on a Damien Harris rushing touchdown and a Bolden 18-yard reception to make it 27-24. Samuel Eguavoen eventually recovered a touchdown in the endzone to finalize the score at 33-24, leading to a season sweep of the Patriots.