Postgame, Week 10: Patriots 23, Dolphins 16

The "Just Enough"/"Bend, Don't Break" 2001 New England Patriots returned to action Sunday, beating the Dolphins in Miami, 23-16. The win kept the Patriots (5-4) in sole possession of first place of the AFC East and raised their division record to 2-0. Miami fell to 3-6, 0-3 in the division.

No, it wasn't pretty, and the injuries continued to mount, but there was good news too. Several no-names made names for themselves, and a few key players made key plays.

Perhaps most important was the return of Richard Seymour to the defensive line. While he had just one solo tackle, one assist and one pass defended, his presence was certainly felt. The attention Miami paid to Seymour paid off in freeing up other players to pressure Dolphin quarterback Gus Frerotte and stymie the 1-2 running back punch of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. The pair rushed for just 77 yards combined on 25 carries (3.1 yards per carry).

Patriot cornerback Ellis Hobbs had a career game (he's a rookie) and was one of four Patriot defenders with 7 total tackles. Hobbs made 5 solo tackles and a key interception, 4 passes defended (2 on Miami's last drive), and 2 fumble recoveries. Safety Michael Stone also had 5 solo tackles and a pair of assists, plus a special teams tackle. Linebacker Rosevelt Colvin had 4 solos, 3 assists and a forced fumble, and linebacker Mike Vrabel had 1 solo and 6 assists to go with a special teams tackle.

Not all the defensive news was good. Frerotte 360 yards and 2 touchdowns on 25 of 47 passing. Fortunately, the New England defense stiffened in the red zone, a big turnaround from the last few weeks, and continually frustrated Frerotte. Miami left a lot of points on the field.

Asante Samuel gave up another touchdown, this time to Chris Chambers on a 3-yard pass from Frerotte. Ricky Williams paid for it, as Samuel delivered another Rodney Harrison-style hit of the former bowl-over back.

Tom Brady had his typical out-of-quarterback experience in Miami. Overall, he had good game, but he had several bad gaffes and gambles as well. Brady finished 21 of 36 for 275 yards with a pair of touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. He was allegedly sacked twice for one yard, which I'm pretty sure isn't possible.

Brady hit seven different receivers, all at least twice. Deion Branch was the primary beneficiary, catching five passes for 82 yards, but it was Tim Dwight and tight end Ben Watson who will be credited with the big plays. Dwight ripped the ball from Miami cornerback Reggie Howard who got his hands on Brady's deep ball just after Dwight did. Dwight then scrambled downfield for a total pickup of 59 yards. Brady then hit Watson just inches inside the left side of the endzone with 2:19 left in the game for the go ahead score. Miami castoff Heath Evans then successfully converted for two points.

Watson also scored on a 16-yard pass from Brady with 7 seconds left in the first half. That drive started with 5:01 left on the clock. The game-winning drive consisted of just the two plays above.

Brady got pounded all day, having protection from two rookies, two backups and one regular on the offensive line. He made a couple awful throws, but typical to his character, he came right back and make some huge plays.

Evans finished with 84 yards on 17 carries (4.9 avg). Mike Cloud added 8 yards on 7 carries.

Christian Fauria had his first catches of the year, but he also had a key drop near the end of the second quarter.

Punter Josh Miller had another great day. He had six punts for an average of 43.7 yards. He placed three inside the 20, and his first virtually on the Dolphins' goalline on the Patriots first possession, setting up an early game of field posision.
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Remember, until Sunday, the Patriots had one just once in seven years in Miami. That means they lost there twice in their three Super Bowl seasons. Winning there Sunday, considering all their injuries, borders on Vatican-certified miracle.

Next opponent: New Orleans. they're coming off a bye. How many teams have faced Pats coming off a bye?

* Quotes in this story were taken from the Associated Press