FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Here are the grades from the New England Patriots' 41-13 win against the Miami Dolphins in Week 15:
Quarterback: It's customary to talk about Tom Brady's arm, which was less than stellar at times on Sunday. But it was all about Brady's feet on his 17-yard scamper, a major turning point in the game. He was a man on a mission on the run that set up a LeGarrette Blount touchdown early in the second half. Brady's grade is lowered for missing a few throws and getting multiple passes swatted down at the line of scrimmage, including his one interception. Grade: B+
Running back: After weeks of limited action, Jonas Gray reemerged as a viable backfield option with his good vision, underrated speed and power running. His 62 yards led the way on a day when the Patriots didn't commit to the run. Blount struggled other than his touchdown run. While Shane Vereen finished with a lowly six carries for five yards, his three-yard touchdown run was impressive as he stayed on his feet and powered through a tackle into the end zone. Grade: B
Wide receiver: Per usual, it's the Julian Edelman-and-Brandon LaFell show for the wide receivers. Edelman had a bad drop where he turned to go upfield before hauling in the pass and he was lucky to not lose a fumble. But he did make some big catches, especially early on, and had a nice grab down the sideline. LaFell had a quiet six catches for 66 yards. Shout out to Brian Tyms for a great vertical route. Too bad Brady overthrew him by a hair. Grade: B+
Tight end: Rob Gronkowski delivered when the Patriots needed him. Brady had him a few more times, and the QB is at fault for missing throws, including a deep ball where he underthrew his big tight end. But in the end, Gronk is Gronk and dominates all of the competition. Give some credit to Michael Hoomanawanui for some solid blocks on Dolphins' pass-rusher Cameron Wake. Grade: A
Offensive line: In the Week 1 battle between these teams, the offensive line was a mess. It's amazing what some continuity can do for a team. The O-line played a good game, especially in the second half. The pass protection was solid all game; credit the Dolphins' athleticism on the swatted passes. The run-blocking was poor early on, but improved in the second half. Sebastian Vollmer did a great job of containing Wake. Grade: B+
Defensive line/linebacker: Welcome back, Chandler Jones. Jones, who missed the last six games with a hip injury, made a triumphant return with seven total tackles, including 1.5 sacks. Dont'a Hightower and Jamie Collins continue to be a brutal linebacker tandem for opposing teams to deal with. Vince Wilfork provided solid interior pressure and was a presence in the run game, as he needs to be. Rob Ninkovich also played a strong game with a sack and a nice pass breakup on a dropback. After getting gashed in Round 1 against the Dolphins, the Patriots' defensive front dominated the rematch. Grade: A+
Defensive back: Darrelle Revis was lights out in coverage. He deserves credit for an assist on Duron Harmon's interception. Devin McCourty had a key pass breakup on Charles Clay in the end zone. Brandon Browner had penalties called against him, as has become customary, though one was a poor call. He also got away with an early hit as he assisted on Patrick Chung's interception, but Browner made some big plays in the secondary. Outside of Malcolm Butler getting torched by Mike Wallace on the Dolphins' opening snap, the secondary had a solid performance. Grade: A
Special teams: Collins' athleticism on his field goal block was truly exceptional. Kyle Arrington did a great job of sticking with the play to scoop and score off of the block. Ryan Allen picked up where he left off last week with a pair of booming punts in the first half. And congratulations to Mr. Consistent, Stephen Gostkowski, for surpassing Adam Vinatieri as the Patriots' all-time leading scorer (1,165 points). Grade: A
Coaching: The decision to run on three plays at the end of the half when the Dolphins had three timeouts was not a good call as Miami scored a touchdown. Also, some of the defensive matchups early on were less than ideal. But Bill Belichick and his staff clearly prevailed. Moments of note were using Nate Solder as an extra tight end and the quick-snap punt on fourth-and-one. What stood out most were adjustments as the Patriots scored a third-quarter franchise record 24 points after the offensive woes in the first half. Grade: A
