New England Patriots 24, Miami Dolphins 19: Maye's second half erases a 13-3 hole

The Patriots went into halftime at Hard Rock Stadium trailing 13-3 and came out a different offense. Drake Maye was 16 of 20 for 199 yards and accounted for all three New England touchdowns after the break: two passes and a 2-yard run. The result was a 24-19 win that moves New England to 5-3 and drops Miami to 1-6.

Maye's two scoring throws went for 43 and 48 yards. The rest of the day was patient work, including a run game that carried 131 yards and helped New England hold the ball for 31:57.

How it was won

The first half belonged to Miami. Andy Borregales opened the scoring with a 34-yard field goal at 9:10 of the first quarter, but Zane Gonzalez answered from 31 yards and then hit from 52 in the second quarter. With eight seconds left before halftime, Malik Willis found Malik Washington for a 1-yard touchdown, and Gonzalez's kick made it 13-3.

The third quarter turned it. At 9:23, Maye hit Kyle Williams for a 43-yard touchdown, his only catch of the day, to cut the deficit to 13-10. With 59 seconds left in the quarter, Maye ran it in from 2 yards and New England led 17-13.

Early in the fourth, at 12:39, Maye found DeMario Douglas for 48 yards and a 24-13 lead. Douglas finished with 3 catches for 76 yards. Miami's only answer came at 2:04, when Willis threw 35 yards to Kevin Coleman Jr. The two-point pass failed, leaving it 24-19.

The box score was close. New England outgained Miami 313 to 269, with 182 passing yards and 131 rushing. Rhamondre Stevenson carried 19 times for 82 yards and Corey Kiner added 38 on 7 carries. The Patriots converted 6 of 14 on third down and committed one turnover.

Miami had the edge in first downs, 17 to 16, and went 7 of 14 on third down. Willis completed 21 of 32 for 211 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception. Ollie Gordon II ran 19 times for 69 yards, Greg Dulcich caught 4 passes for 43 yards, and Coleman led the Dolphins with 46 receiving yards on 3 catches. Each side turned it over once.

Against the number

New England closed as a 7-point favorite and won by 5, so Miami covered. The late Coleman touchdown did the damage: at 24-13 the Patriots were covering comfortably.

The same score flipped the total. The game closed at 41.5 and sat at 37 points before that drive; it finished at 43, so the over came in. The failed two-point try did not change either result.

On the moneyline, the Patriots closed at -345 and the Dolphins at +275. Full closing prices are on the game page.

What's next

The win steadies New England after a 30-24 loss at Chicago. The Patriots are now 2-3 on the road and 3-0 at home, with wins over Pittsburgh, Las Vegas and the Jets in Foxborough. They return home on Sunday, November 8, to face the Green Bay Packers on Fox.

Miami's next game was not included in the material available to us at publication. At 1-6, the Dolphins remain near the bottom of the AFC.