The New England Patriots are in the win column after a wild 33-27 victory over the Dolphins in Miami in Week 2. While Miami is usually a house of horrors for the Patriots, Drake Maye didn’t seem to have any issues in South Beach.
It was a huge Sunday for Maye, as the Patriots quarterback had one of the finest games of his brief NFL career. He carved up the Miami defense with his arm and his legs, and looked more like a calm-and-cool veteran than a second-year quarterback.
The Patriots had to sweat it out a bit in the end, which had Maye praising anyone and everyone involved with the win.
“It took everybody. Special teams. Offense. Defense. Trainers. Everyone helped us out,” Maye said after the victory. “Proud of our guys for sticking with it, with so many ebbs and flows. Just proud of the guys. This one feels good.”
Maye had a hand in three of the team’s touchdowns, while Antonio Gibson returned a kickoff to answer a Miami punt return touchdown. Add it all up and the Patriots put more than 30 points on the scoreboard for the first time since 2022, a span of 46 games.
A win Sunday against an AFC East foe also takes away some of the string from last week’s season-opening loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. Maye’s performance will take some of the pressure off his shoulders, and he had less pressure throughout the game Sunday as Patriots running backs showed up in a big way.
But there is still a lot this New England team needs to work on going forward. Here are all the Ups and Downs from the Patriots’ first win of the 2025 NFL season.
UP: Drake Maye
Sunday was just Maye’s fourth official win as an NFL quarterback. While he threw for more yards in Week 1, Sunday in Miami was his finest performance as a pro.
There were no overly jumpy passes from Maye against the Dolphins, as he completed 19 of his 23 attempts for 230 yards. He ended both of New England’s first two drives with touchdown passes, first to Mack Hollins and then to Kayshon Boutte, who made a lovely one-handed snag in the end zone.
Maye also had 31 yards and a touchdown on his 10 carries as he showed a great balance between being a runner and a passer. He didn’t look sped up on Sunday and made great decisions with the ball in his hand.
Simply put, Sunday was a great day for Maye and the Patriots’ offense.
UP: Rhamondre Stevenson
Stevenson was a beast in a number of different ways on Sunday. He ran for 54 yards on his 11 rushing attempts, and picked up 88 yards on his five receptions.
He had the biggest play of the game with a 55-yard catch-and-run on a wheel route in the third quarter on a must-have third-and-3 for New England. Stevenson also found the end zone on New England’s two-point conversion after Maye’s touchdown run.
UP: Antonio Gibson’s kickoff return
How do you answer a punt return touchdown by the opposition? With a 90-yard kickoff return touchdown on the very next play.
Antonio Gibson made it look easy on his TD return, which turned a 27-23 Miami lead into a 30-27 edge for the Patriots.
What was going through Gibson’s head during his return?
“Make a play. They just made one, and I was just talking to myself, ‘G, make a play.’ I need to talk to myself a little bit more,” he admitted.
Bonus points for Mike Vrabel, who ran the final 20 or so yards with Gibson from the sideline.
UP: Kayshon Boutte
He only had one reception, but it was a beauty.
Boutte’s 16-yard touchdown put the Patriots up 12-0 late in the first quarter.
UP: Milton Williams seals the win
The big fella had two sacks on the day, including one that sealed the victory late in the fourth quarter. The Patriots are paying him the big bucks for a reason, and Williams has looked powerful in the trenches over the first two weeks.
UP: Patriots’ defense bends but doesn’t break
The day was far from perfect for the New England defense, which gave up a number of big plays on the afternoon. That usually would have gotten the unit into the downs.
But with the game on the line late, the defense was able to force a punt, come down with an interception, and then force a turnover on downs when Williams sacked Tua at the end of the game.
UP & DOWN: Andy Borregales
The rookie missed not one but TWO extra points to start the game. Yeesh.
At least he bounced back by connecting on his other extra point attempt and both of his field goals, including a 53-yarder with only 1:47 left on the clock.
But then he had another down when his kickoff after the 53-yarder came up short of the landing zone. Vrabel expressed confidence in Borregales after the game, but he’s got to give these rookie moments the boot going forward.
DOWN: Patriots defense ahead of halftime
The Patriots let the Dolphins score an easy one ahead of halftime, as De’Von Achane capped off a six-play, 77-yard scoring drive with a 29-yard catch-and-run against a wide open zone defense from New England.
Miami’s scoring drive took just 83 seconds. It was too easy for the Dolphins on that one. The Dolphins also got a field goal out of halftime and scored on their first two possessions of the second half.
DOWN: Way too many penalties by Patriots
The Patriots were flagged 12 times on Sunday, which cost the team 75 yards. Miami was only slightly better with 10 penalties for 65 yards.
Rookie left tackle Will Campbell was flagged for another false start (his third of the season) while veteran right tackle Morgan Moses was flagged for the infraction three times. Not exactly what you expect from a 14-year veteran. Rookie running back Treveyon Henderson was anthem with two holding calls, which led to his decline in playing time in the second half.
Borregales capped off his roller coaster day by sending a kickoff short of the landing zone, which gave the Dolphins the ball at their own 40 on their final possesion.
There’s a lot to clean up for the Patriots as they head into a Week 3 matchup with the Steelers. But at least they’re going into that game off a win.
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