Team Grades: Poor Patriots’ Effort Leads To Loss At Miami

The loss not only costed them the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, but it was also one of the worst performances a Bill Belichick-coached Patriots team has ever had. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh came screaming in from behind Brady and hit him low. The Patriots will play January 16 in an AFC Divisional game at 4:35 p.m. on CBS. He was sacked twice and took some hard hits to his legs and back.

Brady said being banged up is part of the football season and said, “we’ll be a different team in two weeks”.

When an achy Tom Brady had finished fending off questions about the New England Patriots’ desultory regular-season finale, he stepped gingerly off the interview podium, looking a little wobbly as he heads for the playoffs.

There has been a lot of talk this season over Brady’s personal training coach, Alex Guerrero, keeping his body healthy and performing at an elite level at age 38. The quarterback has been pummeled this season and besides recently, has defied Father Time and the general ware and tare injuries which come with age (i.e Peyton Manning). Since the Broncos won, the Patriots will claim the second seed in the AFC and a first-round bye. Luckily, Brady isn’t expected to miss much time as the Patriots won’t be playing in the Wild Card thanks to a first round bye. Given the staggering number of injuries this team has experienced this season, it appeared as though they were trying to play it as safe as possible.

Brady said on his weekly radio appearance that he would be receiving treatment, “as always”. I wouldn’t say that that has no value. New England had the ball for just six minutes in the final quarter with just one first down, and Miami started coming fast and furious at Brady as soon as the Patriots became one-dimensional. “There is nothing else in my life that’s a priority at this point other than getting to feel like I’m 100 percent”.

“We obviously didn’t do enough things well enough today to win”, Belichick said.

The Dolphins had every right to be offended and that’s the way they played (“They think they can just run the ball on us all day in that formation” – Miami corner Brice McCain).

Less than an hour into the Miami Dolphins’ offseason, owner Stephen Ross was already talking about Super Bowls in his team’s future.

Sunday night, former Patriot Rodney Harrison had some strong words of concern for his former team.

Dolphins rookie wide receiver DeVante Parker caught five passes for 106 yards. Tom Brady played with a sprained ankle in Super Bowl XXXVI against the Rams and a high ankle sprain in Super Bowl XLII against the Giants, among a battery of injuries he has dealt with during his career.