The New England Patriots beat the Miami Dolphins 24-19 on Sunday by scoring 21 straight points after halftime, two of those touchdowns on long Drake Maye passes. Miami led 13-3 at the break and did not score again until the final 2:04.

The difference was explosiveness. New England completed 16 of 20 passes at nearly 8 yards per attempt, while Miami managed about 5 per attempt on 32 throws. The Patriots did more damage with their chances, and that flipped a game Miami had controlled for a half.

How It Happened

Andy Borregales opened the scoring with a 34-yard field goal at 9:10 of the first quarter. Zane Gonzalez answered with a 31-yarder at 3:39 to tie it at 3.

Miami took over the second quarter. Gonzalez hit from 52 yards at 9:27, then Malik Willis found Malik Washington for a 1-yard touchdown with 8 seconds left in the half. That drive sent the Dolphins into the locker room up 13-3.

New England flipped the game in the third quarter. Maye hit Kyle Williams for a 43-yard touchdown at 9:23 to cut the deficit to 3, then ran it in from 2 yards with 59 seconds left in the period to put the Patriots ahead 17-13.

Early in the fourth, Maye found DeMario Douglas for a 48-yard score at 12:39, stretching the lead to 24-13. Willis responded with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Coleman Jr. at 2:04, but the two-point pass failed and Miami stayed 5 points short.

Key Performers

Drake Maye, NE: 2 passing TD (43, 48 YDS), 1 rushing TD (2 YDS)
NE passing: 16-20, 182 YDS, 2-0 (TD-INT)
NE rushing: 36 ATT, 131 YDS
Kyle Williams, NE: 43-yard TD reception
DeMario Douglas, NE: 48-yard TD reception
Malik Willis, MIA: 2 passing TD (1, 35 YDS)
MIA passing: 21-32, 195 YDS, 2-1 (TD-INT)
MIA rushing: 23 ATT, 74 YDS

Maye was the story, accounting for every New England touchdown. Both of his scoring throws came from long range, and together with his short touchdown run they erased a 10-point halftime deficit.

The run game set it up. New England kept handing off, piling up 131 rushing yards on 36 carries and holding the ball for nearly 32 minutes. Miami's ground game never got going, finishing with 74 yards.

What It Means

New England moves to 5-3, and this is the kind of win the Patriots have needed. They are perfect at home at 3-0, but this victory only lifts them to 2-3 on the road. Taking one away from home after trailing at the half is the sort of result that can steady that split.

The rest of the box score was close. Both teams went 1 for 2 in the red zone and turned it over once, with Miami throwing an interception and New England losing a fumble. Miami was actually better on third down, converting 7 of 14 to New England's 6 of 14.

That leaves big plays and pressure as the separators. Miami was sacked 5 times, and New England gained more yards per play. For the Dolphins, now 1-6 and winless in 3 home games, a halftime lead slipped away without the plays to finish it.