New England Patriots beat Miami Dolphins by 23-16 in Week 13 to win AFC East title – NFL Recap
Despite not being at their best, New England Patriots grinded out another victory with a 23-16 win over Miami Dolphins in Week 13 on Sunday, December 02, 2012, at Sun Life Stadium, Miami, Florida.
It was not another high-scoring game for Patriots. However, the team did manage to clinch its fourth consecutive American Football Conference (AFC) East title with a 9-3 record.
For Dolphins, it was a defeat for which they only had themselves to blame as they made costly mistakes during important moments of the game.
The team is now tied with New York Jets and Buffalo Bills at second place in AFC East with a 5-7 record and their playoff chance are not very bright.
It was Patriots’ sixth consecutive win, but the team did not look to be comfortable against strong Dolphins defence as quarterback Tom Brady was sacked four times.
Brady was 24 of 40 for 238 yards and a touchdown. The quarterback also threw away an interception. It was Brady’s worst performance of the season. According to the Associated Press, Brady said:
“We’ve been in those situations before where we’ve thrown up a lot of big numbers, as you put it, or scored some points and then get to that point in the game and go three-and-out. So, it’s really about being able to do the things that you need to do to
win the game.”
Dolphins made some crucial errors throughout the game and registered a few penalties. Apart from that, they gave one of their best defensive performances of the season as they forced Brady to take time in decision making that led to many of the sacks. Talking
about the defensive team’s performance, Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin said:
“I thought we got good pressure on Brady. Obviously, if you take an opposing quarterback down four times that’s a pretty good afternoon’s work. There was a sudden change where I thought we did an excellent job.”
Patriots offence started the game on a high with running back Stevan Ridley getting a two-yard run to the end zone to give the team a 7-0 lead.
Dolphins cut the lead short to four points at the end of the first quarter with a 44-yard field goal by kicker Dan Carpenter.
However, Patriots extended their lead in the second quarter with a touchdown that was followed by a field goal to take the score to 17-3.
Dolphins came back with a rushing touchdown from quarterback Ryan Tannehill as the first half ended at 10-17.
In the final quarter, both teams scored two field goals each which meant Patriots got the victory by 23-16.
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