Pats drop top AFC seed with loss to Miami

Less than 24 hours after his ankle injury in Miami, Tom Brady remained optimistic he’ll be ready for the postseason.

For the first time all season, Brady didn’t throw a touchdown pass and it appears the injuries to skill-position players have added up.

The Patriots basically came to Sun Life Stadium saying, “We know we’re going to beat you, but we’re not going to extend ourselves because we need rest before the playoffs”.

The Patriots entered the season looking poised to defend their title but with all the setbacks they faced and are now dealing with, it seems like the goal of reaching the Super Bowl just got harder for them. Brady was battered every time he dropped back to pass due to the makeshift offensive line, so the coaches hoped the limit the damage- and running the ball could give him extra breathing room in the second half.

The Patriots went back to the ground gamebut had little luck in that area as the Dolphins’ defense came up with multiple impact plays as they routinely stopped the Patriots’ running backs behind the line of scrimmage. They abandoned the run after the touchdown with 12 passing plays and just 1 rushing play for the remainder of the third quarter.

New England received the 2nd half kickoff and Tom Brady engineered their only touchdown drive of the day, thanks in large part to a 68 yard reception by James White, who had to shake loose his defender to sprint down the field for the huge gain.

An MRI exam administered Monday did not show any fractures, according to the ESPN report. For the Patriots, they wanted to win this game because they would’ve clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

“I’m pretty sore”, Brady said after the game, “but it will be all right”. Since the Broncos won, the Patriots will claim the second seed in the AFC and a first-round bye. “He’s going to be one of the best players in the league”. Although they have been doing well staying healthy as of late, that may be changing for them.

Perhaps this is like the 2009 Saints, who lost their final three games of the season… or the 2011 Giants, who lost four in a row at one point in November/December… or the 2012 Ravens, who lost four of their last five games. “Hopefully we’ve learned some lessons over the past couple of weeks, and we can play more Patriot-like football”.