clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Dolphins vs Patriots: Game Capsule

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (7-4) AT MIAMI DOLPHINS (5-6)

SERIES

 

PATRIOTS

DOLPHINS

SERIES LEADER

48-37

STREAKS

4 of past 5

COACHES VS. OPP.

Belichick: 12-9

Sparano: 1-2

LAST WEEK

L 38-17 at Saints

L 31-14 at Bills

LAST GAME

11/8/09: Dolphins 17 at Patriots 27.  New England QB Tom Brady passes for 332 yards, including 71-yard TD to WR Randy Moss.  Pats RB Laurence Maroney runs for 82 yards & TD.

LAST GAME AT SITE

11/23/08: Patriots 48, Dolphins 28.  New England QB Matt Cassel passes for 415 yards with 3 TDs - his 2nd straight 400-yard game - & adds 8-yard rush TD. 

BROADCAST

CBS (1:00 PM ET): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms.  Westwood One Radio: Howard David, Dan Reeves.  SIRIUS: 126 (NE), 108 (Mia.).  XM: 103 (NE).

STATS

PASSING

Brady: 282-429-3,286 (2L)-20 (3C)-8-96.5

Henne: 144-249-1,512-7-7-73.2

RUSHING

Maroney: 131-519-4.0-8

R. Williams: 154-792-5.1-9 (T2C)

RECEIVING

Welker: 85 (1L)-886-10.4-4

Bess: 49-431-8.8-0

OFFENSE

411.5 (1C)

317.9

TAKE/GIVE

+10 (1C)

-3

DEFENSE

313.4

341.0

SACKS

Banta-Cain: 5

Porter: 7

INTs

Bodden: 5 (T2C)

V. Davis (R), N. Jones: 2

PUNTING

Hanson: 40.2

Fields: 46.0 (3C)

KICKING

Gostkowski: 95 (2C) (32/32 PAT; 21/26 FG)

Carpenter: 76 (28/29 PAT; 16/17 FG)

NOTES

PATRIOTS:  Since 1900, club is NFL-best 50-28 (.641) in Dec...Club aims for 3rd consecutive win vs. Dolphins...Pats rank 1st in AFC & 2nd in NFL w/411.5 yards per game...QB TOM BRADY (29,732) surpassed DREW BLEDSOE (29,657) for most career passing yards in Patriots history.  In last game at Mia. (10/21/07), Brady completed 21 of 25 passes (84.0 pct.) for 354 yards & tied career-high w/6 TDs vs. 0 INTs & 158.3 passer rating.  Brady is 26-4 (.867) in Dec. w/43 TDs vs. 19 INTs & 89.1 passer rating...RB LAURENCE MARONEY aims for 7th game in row w/rush TD & has career-high 8 rush TDs in '09...WR RANDY MOSS (992) needs 8 receiving yards to join JERRY RICE (14) as only players in NFL history w/10 1,000-yard receiving seasons.  Moss aims for 3rd consecutive game w/100+ receiving yards vs. Mia. (125, 147).  WR WES WELKER leads NFL w/85 rec. & aims for 10th consecutive game w/6 or more rec...WR SAM AIKEN had career highs in rec. (7) & yards (90) last week...S BRANDON MERIWEATHER & DT VINCE WILFORK attended Miami (Fla.)...

DOLPHINS:  Club is 4-0 in Dec. under head coach TONY SPARANO...QB CHAD HENNE is 3-1 as starter at home & has completed 69 of 115 passes (60.0 pct.) for 742 yards with 4 TDs...RB RICKY WILLIAMS posted 23rd 100-yard rush game w/Miami last week (most by any Dolphin) & aims for 4th consecutive game w/100+ rush yards.  Williams (9) needs 1 rush TD to reach double-digit rush TDs for 2nd time in career (16 in '02)...WR DAVONE BESS (49) needs 6 receptions to surpass career-high of 54 in '08 rookie season.  Rookie WR BRIAN HARTLINE (Round 4, Ohio St.) had 2nd career TD rec. last week...TE ANTHONY FASANO is averaging 15.7 yards per catch in past 2 (6 catches, 94 yards)...LB JASON TAYLOR (126.5) needs 0.5 sack to surpass DERRICK THOMAS for 11th-most sacks all-time.  Taylor has 12 sacks against Patriots, 3rd-most vs. any opponent...LB JOEY PORTER aims for 3rd game in row with 2 or more sacks.  In past 5 vs. NE, Porter has 8 sacks...S YEREMIAH BELL posted 1st INT since 11/13/05 last week.

STILL TIME FOR A TURNAROUNDSince the current 12-team playoff system was instituted in 1990, 13 teams have reached the postseason despite having a losing record after 11 games.  This includes the current streak in which a sub-.500 team has reached the playoffs for five consecutive seasons.  And in four of those five seasons the team has advanced to the Divisional playoffs.

Since 1990, teams with a losing record after 11 games that rebounded to make the playoffs:

 

YEAR

TEAM

RECORD AFTER 11  GAMES

FINAL RECORD

ADVANCED TO

1990

New Orleans Saints

5-6

8-8

Wild Card

1993

Minnesota Vikings

5-6

9-7

Wild Card

1994

Detroit Lions

5-6

9-7

Wild Card

1994

New England Patriots

5-6

10-6

Wild Card

1995

Detroit Lions

5-6

10-6

Wild Card

1995

San Diego Chargers

4-7

9-7

Wild Card

1996

Jacksonville Jaguars

4-7

9-7

AFC Championship

1997

Detroit Lions

5-6

9-7

Wild Card

2004

St. Louis Rams

5-6

8-8

Divisional

2005

Washington Redskins

5-6

10-6

Divisional

2006

Philadelphia Eagles

5-6

10-6

Divisional

2007

Washington Redskins

5-6

9-7

Wild Card

2008

San Diego Chargers

4-7

8-8

Divisional