On Sunday, at the Hard Rock Stadium, the Miami Dolphins, went against the New England Patriots. In the Week 8 game, the Dolphins thrashed the Patriots 31-17. With this win, Mike McDaniel’s Dolphins are 6-2 in the league and are leading the AFC East division. On the contrary, Bill Belichick’s Patriots stand last in the division with a 2-6 record.

The Dolphins bagged their fourth win against the Patriots at their home turf. The last time the Patriots won a game at this stadium was in September 2019. This victory has surely boosted the confidence of the Dolphins, who lost their previous game. And, for the Patriots, it’s another big lesson.

Has Belichick lost his charm?

After starting the season 1-5, the Patriots won last week’s game against the Buffalo Bills 29-25, which ideally should have given them much-needed relief. Fans were expecting a similar performance from them against the Dolphins. However, the Dolphins dominated this game. Now, the Patriots are at the bottom of the division, and the NFL world is getting another chance to criticize Belichick. So far, they have only won two games in the league, and nobody expected such a poor season for the Patriots, considering they have one of the best coaches in the NFL.

This season, nothing is going in favor of Belichick and his team. After back-to-back humiliating defeats against the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints, Belichick admitted his mistakes and talked about starting from scratch and ‘starting all over.’ But there has hardly been any improvement in the Patriots’ game. The road to the playoffs has become very difficult for the Patriots; they now have only a 4% probability of qualifying for it. The NFL world and Patriots fans are heavily criticizing Belichick and his strategy. It seems like he has lost his touch.

What happened on the field during the Dolphins versus Patriots game?

In an unexpected turn of events in the initial phase, the Patriots took the lead, and the score was 7-0. However, the Patriots fell back into familiar habits shown in the previous game, allowing Dolphins to counter. Dolphins did not miss this opportunity and by the end of the first half, they were leading the game by 7-17. The Dolphins took some time to get into the momentum. For almost two consecutive quarters, they missed the touchdown. Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill started dominating the Patriots, helping them take the lead after the first half.

In his season debut, Dolphins’ Jalen Ramsey made his first appearance of the season. He could not play in the previous games due to an injury to his left meniscus. He intercepted Patriots QB Mac Jones. In the first half, Ramsey did not face much opposition, but he was targeted towards the end of the second quarter.

Read more: “We Did It in the Patriots”: Standing Up for Bill Belichick Amid Criticism, Tom Brady Calls Out New England’s Team Spirit

At the end of the third quarter, the score was 10-24. The Patriots’ defense was very poor in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Somehow, their defense gained momentum in the 4th quarter, but it was too late for them. For the Dolphins, Hill finished with eight catches and 112 receiving yards. What do you think about the Dolphins’ win? Let us know in the comments.

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