By Tiffany Williams –
FOXBOROUGH — The Patriots didn’t just close the regular season Sunday at Gillette Stadium. They steamrolled it.
New England buried the Miami Dolphins 38–14 in a lopsided finale that looked like a playoff tune-up against a team already counting the days until vacation. The win pushed the Patriots to a dominant 14–3 record. Miami staggered to the finish line at 7–10, exposed on both sides of the ball.
This was a mismatch from the jump. New England ran wherever they wanted, whenever they wanted, and Miami never showed the ability to stop them. The Patriots piled up 457 total yards, averaging a jaw-dropping 8.2 yards per play. Miami managed just 180 yards and spent most of the afternoon stuck in neutral.
Drake Maye didn’t need to be spectacular. He was efficient, calm, and ruthless, completing 14 of 18 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown. Joshua Dobbs chipped in without drama. No turnovers. No sacks. No panic.
Then there was the ground game, which flattened Miami. Rhamondre Stevenson bullied the Dolphins for 131 rushing yards and two touchdowns, adding a receiving score for good measure. TreVeyon Henderson sliced through Miami’s defense for 53 yards and two more touchdowns. New England ran for 243 yards at 7.1 yards per carry. That’s not football. That’s domination.
Miami’s offense never threatened. Quinn Ewers threw for 137 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. Zach Wilson didn’t complete a pass. The Dolphins rushed for 63 total yards. That’s not a typo.
Jaylen Wright, Malik Washington, and Ollie Gordon II were swallowed whole. Miami converted just one of three red-zone chances and turned the ball over twice.
Defensively, the Patriots were relentless, recording four sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Jaylinn Hawkins picked off a pass. Miami couldn’t protect the quarterback, couldn’t create explosive plays, and couldn’t flip the field. Every possession felt uphill.
The scoring told the story early. New England ripped off two first-quarter touchdowns on drives of 70 and 92 yards. Miami responded briefly in the second quarter, but it was window dressing. By halftime it was clear the Patriots were in full control.
The third quarter erased any doubt, with Stevenson striking through the air and on the ground in a span of five minutes. Henderson closed the door in the fourth.
Miami finished with fewer first downs, fewer yards, fewer red-zone conversions, and more mistakes. No takeaways. No momentum. No answers.
This wasn’t close. This wasn’t competitive. This was New England flexing on a Dolphins team that had nothing left.
Final from Foxborough: Patriots 38, Dolphins 14. One team looks ready for January. The other is already thinking about April.