FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- A few thoughts on the Miami Dolphins' 41-13 loss Sunday against the New England Patriots.
What it means: The Dolphins (7-7) continue their late-season free fall in ugly fashion. They lost their third game in four weeks to drop to .500 and essentially end their playoff hopes. The Patriots took advantage of Miami's mistakes and scored 21 points off turnovers. This blowout loss makes you question the status of Joe Philbin, who dropped to 22-24 in three seasons as the Dolphins' head coach. They most likely will miss the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year.
Stock watch: The stock is rising for Miami's deep ball. This was a penny stock most of the season, because the team was reluctant to even try taking deep shots most weeks. But the Dolphins' passing offense was aggressive at times, which included five deep throws in the first half. It worked three times on a pair of bombs to receiver Mike Wallace and a pass interference call against Patriots cornerback Brandon Browner. As far as stock plummeting, Miami's third-quarter performance took a major tumble. The team was an astounding plus-72 in third-quarter scoring this season, but the Patriots were the dominant team after halftime. New England scored a franchise-record 24 points in the third quarter to set the tone and pull away from Miami in the second half.
Show of respect: Patriots coach Bill Belichick is good at providing interesting wrinkles and coaching adjustments. One change he made from the first meeting was to put Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis on Dolphins rookie receiver Jarvis Landry in the slot on key passing downs. Landry has really come on in the season's second half and entered the game leading Miami in receptions. That is a sign of respect from Belichick to put his best coverage player on Landry, who finished with eight catches for 99 yards.
Game ball: There weren't many kudos to pass around following a blowout loss, but Wallace showed off his big-play ability with five catches for 104 receiving yards and a touchdown. His score was a one-handed catch in the corner of the end zone. He also had a 50-yard bomb to start the game.
What's next: The Dolphins will return home for their final two games of the regular season. They will host the Minnesota Vikings next week and the New York Jets in Week 17. Those are winnable games that are important for Miami as the team tries to prove it can finish on a high note.
