The New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins both faced the dire scenario of falling to 0-2 in Week 2, and that desperation from each team was evident down the stretch.
From a pair of return touchdowns to a drive to regret from Tua Tagovailoa, the fourth quarter had a bit of everything — but it was the Patriots who walked out of Hard Rock Stadium with win No. 1.
The Dolphins, meanwhile, can say they put forth a better effort than they did in Week 1, but that won’t be any consolation to their fans.
Here’s a look at how the Patriots finished off a win over the Dolphins.
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How did the Patriots beat the Dolphins?
The fourth quarter started innocently enough after the Patriots regained the lead on a Drake Maye touchdown run late in the third, with each team punting after an unsuccessful drive. Then, it got wild.
Second-year returner Malik Washington took a Patriots punt all the way back to the house for a 74-yard touchdown, igniting the crowd and giving the Dolphins a 27-23 lead.
MALIK WASHINGTON TAKES THE PUNT ALL THE WAY! WHAT A RETURN.
NEvsMIA on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/EvVfpiL9Vc
— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2025
On the very next play, the mood at Hard Rock Stadium flipped. Antonio Gibson returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a Patriots touchdown, effectively cancelling out Washington’s return and breathing new life into New England without Maye ever touching the ball.
ANTONIO GIBSON. BACK-TO-BACK RETURN TDS IN MIAMI!
NEvsMIA on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/prQPqqMCYo
— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2025
The Dolphins had a chance to go down the field and either tie the game or take the lead, but their offensive woes from Week 1 resurfaced. Tagovailoa missed a wide open Tyreek Hill, and the drive unraveled from there with a false start, sack and finally an interception of Tagovailoa by Marte Mapu to end the threat.
The Patriots could have iced the game on the next drive but instead had to settle for a 53-yard field goal to push their lead to six, giving the Dolphins a chance to win it. They nearly did. De’Von Achane briefly believed he had scored the go-ahead touchdown with just over a minute remaining, but officials quickly determined he stepped out of bounds at the 26-yard line.
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With a field goal not an option, the Dolphins needed 26 yards in 69 seconds and couldn’t get them. Back-to-back pre-snap penalties backed Miami up, and the Patriots ended all hope for the Dolphins when Milton Williams sacked Tagovailoa on fourth down. It was the Patriots’ fifth sack of the game.Â
Statistically, Tagovailoa was much better than he was in an ugly Week 1 loss to the Colts with two touchdown passes and only six incompletions, but his response to Gibson’s kickoff return touchdown failed to inspire much confidence in the Dolphins’ ability to win close games. At 0-2, Miami’s path to playoff contention appears to be narrow already.Â
