National Football League

Patriots defense slows Dolphins, keeps New England's playoff chances alive

Updated Jan. 1, 2023 7:02 p.m. ET

New England Patriots safety Kyle Dugger put an exclamation mark on his sensational season with a pick-six during Sunday's 23-21 win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 17.

Dugger's touchdown helped the Patriots hold on to playoff hopes. New England would have been eliminated from contention with a loss. Instead, the Pats' win over the Dolphins sets up New England for a win-and-get-in game at the Bills in Week 18. Buffalo, meanwhile, will be contending for the No. 1 seed (and a first-round bye). It should be an extremely tough matchup for New England.

But before looking ahead, New England will enjoy its win over the Dolphins. And in the third quarter, Dugger scored his third touchdown of the season, the most by a Patriots defender since 1970. He also scored the defense's seventh touchdown of the season, a franchise record.

"[Dugger is] one of those people that he ain't going to talk a lot, but his presence is gonna be felt," Adrian Phillips told FOX Sports postgame. "And those are some of the best leaders to me — guys ain't really there for all the rah-rah speeches, all that stuff. You step out there and you feel his presence. You step on the field and you know that Dug's going to make a play."

If teams could make the playoffs on defense alone, the Patriots might be Super Bowl favorites. They slowed down the Dolphins, who started Teddy Bridgewater in place of Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) — only to lose Bridgewater to a finger injury in the fourth quarter.

Not long after picking off Bridgewater for the touchdown, New England intercepted third-stringer Skylar Thompson. Cornerback Jon Jones logged the Patriots' second interception off a tipped pass — a ball that bounced off Tyreek Hill's hands. The cornerback toe-tapped his feet along the sideline and secured yet another game-changing play for the defense. For Hill, it was more of the same on a quiet day. He finished with four catches for 55 yards. And Jaylen Waddle didn't do much better, with three catches for 52 yards.

Jones was asked if he likes matching up with Hill, who has enjoyed mixed success against New England.

"I guess," Jones said with a laugh after the game. "It's a good challenge. He's one of the top receivers in the league. … We did a good job. I think we were able to control him — not give up the big plays. … I'm pretty sure the quarterback situation had a lot to do with it, but we showed up and played ball."

It was actually running back Raheem Mostert that led the Dolphins' receiving corps, grabbing eight balls for 62 yards and a touchdown.

If there was a clear way for the Dolphins to beat the Patriots, it seemed to be through Hill and Waddle, who had favorable matchups against Jones and Myles Bryant after three of the team's top four cornerbacks were ruled out before the game due to injury (Jalen Mills, Jack Jones, Marcus Jones). But given the quarterback turnstile, the Dolphins couldn't get anything going in the passing game. They have now lost five straight as their playoff chances are plummeting. They need to beat the Jets next week in addition to a Patriots loss to the Bills. It wouldn't be so daunting … if they had a quarterback.

"It is definitely disappointing from my perspective, for the team, for the fan base, for everyone really involved," Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said postgame. "I fully expect a hungry and well-intentioned team ready to go play the Jets next week for the regular-season finale."

As good as the Patriots defense was, their offense did what they've struggled to do all season. They actually shut the door closed on Miami.

Near the end of the fourth quarter, New England took a nine-point lead on an extremely impressive drive from quarterback Mac Jones. The second-year QB completed 5 of 7 passes for 51 yards and a touchdown. Another throw to Jakobi Meyers also drew a 22-yard defensive pass interference penalty. That set up a smart audible at the line of scrimmage on the 1-yard line when Jones identified bad coverage on Meyers. It led to an easy touchdown.

"That was not what I expected to happen on that play," center David Andrews said after the game.

Running back Rhamondre Stevenson was surprised, too.

"We shifted out our formation, so I think that got them a little confused. Honestly, I was confused when I seen the ball thrown out [to Meyers] because it was supposed to come my way," Stevenson said with a laugh.

Of course, one drive later, the Pats could have sealed the game — and they suffered a 4-and-out. It wasn't perfect complimentary football. But it was better than we've seen from New England.

That fourth-quarter touchdown drive felt like a huge stride forward for a Patriots offense that had been churning through mud (metaphorically speaking) for the entire game — and, frankly, the entire season.

During the first half, we saw a lot of what we've come to expect from this unit. There was, for example, a third-and-12 that embodied much of the Patriots' season-long shortcomings. Three of their four receivers ran go-routes directly downfield, with only Tyquan Thornton, the fourth option, stopping right near the marker. It wasn't an impressive play-design. Jones decided not to push the ball downfield — he went conservative and checked down to Stevenson. Even then, Jones misfired to his running back for an incompletion. No gain. Punt.

An unimaginative playcall. A conservative decision. Bad execution.

But maybe New England found something near the end of the game.

"I didn't play as good as I wanted to in the middle of the game," Mac Jones said afterward. "I thought our guys just kept fighting. We made some big plays in some big moments. That's what the NFL is all about. Obviously, defense did great job of putting us in a good spot, special teams."

Don't go crazy thinking the season is saved. The Patriots will have a hard time beating the Bills. And Buffalo's defense is an entirely different caliber when compared to Miami's unit, which has struggled all year and was without top cornerback Xavien Howard and outside linebacker Bradley Chubb. New England will have its hands full with Gregory Rousseau, Ed Oliver, Matt Milano & Co.

But the Patriots are holding on. And they're still contending going into Week 18.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.

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