Patriots Beat Dolphins, Take Control of AFC East

In the history of the 4th String league dating back to the Madden 10 days, the Patriots have only managed to beat the Miami Dolphins one time. But on Saturday night, the Patriots took a huge step toward locking down their first divisional title by knocking off their longtime rival 21-17 in a tense, back-and-forth game.

The game went a long way in showing just how valuable each possession is, as the teams scored on every non-half-ending drive. Pats QB Tom Brady had a sparkling day, completing 17 of 18 passes while collecting two TDs, with the lone incompletion coming at the hands of a Hail Mary to end the first half.

And while Dolphins star running back Jamaal Charles was held to 31 yards on 16 carries, QB Chad Henne picked up the slack by completing 15 of 20 passes while helping the team dominate the time of possession.

The Dolphins started the game with a long drive, including a couple key third-down conversions with the help of Le’Ron McClain. The opening drive ended on a strange play with the first quarter winding down, as TE Own Daniels fumbled the ball at the 1 but immediately recovered it for the touchdown.

The Patriots responded with an efficient drive of their own, with Brady completing a handful of midrange passes before Rashard “Bring It To The” House scampered into the end zone from 46-yards out. Tie game.

The ‘Phins found no problem responding, moving down the field with ease until they got caught up in the red zone. Miami settled for a 34-yard field goal. The Pats got the ball back with only 20 seconds left before halftime, and while Brady completed one long pass, his second heave was picked off for the game’s only turnover.

10-7 Dolphins at the half.

Coming out the half, the Patriots attempted to get their running game motoring, calling three straight runs. This unfortunately left them at 4th and inches, and this is when Coach Ford decided to make a stand.

“Seeing the ease at which Miami had marched down the field in their first two drives, we decided to take a calculated risk,” Ford said. “Given the history of this generally one-sided rivalry, I knew I had to try to do something to change our luck and give our team a chance to win this one.”

And so the Pats went for it, initially calling a run up the gut but audibling to a pass play after seeing the hungry Miami defense stacking the line. Brady found House wide open in the flat, and the young HB easily nabbed the first down, a play that sparked the team. Brady shook off the end-of-half INT and continued his on-targeting passing, eventually connecting with Rob Gronkowski, the 18th most feared player in the 4thSL according to one Dr. Ken, for a 10-yard TD, and the Patriots’ first lead of the game, 14-10.

But Miami wouldn’t back down. Sensing their division and postseason hopes slipping away, they made one last great drive, mixing in pivotal third-down conversions, power runs, and screens to set up a one-yard TD run by Henne. That put the Dolphins up 17-14 halfway through the 4th quarter.

And so it was the Patriots time to respond. The team could smell their first division title, and Brady was seen on the sideline yelling at his team while cutting off his trademark Hollywood locks as a form of inspiration. The leader’s motivation worked as the Patriots, falling behind for the third time in this game, again methodically navigated the field. WR Wes Welker had a key sideline grab to keep the drive alive at one point, and he was the man of the moment as he caught the final TD of the game, a 13-yard strike from Brady with 49 seconds remaining.

Henne made one last attempt to save the game for his team, but the Dolphins managed just one more first down before running out of time.

With three games remaining for both teams, the Patriots attempt to wrap up the division with one more win, while the Dolphins try to stay alive in the playoff hunt by finishing out strong.

Team Stats:
Dolphins Pats
1st Downs 13 10
3rd Downs Att. 10 2
3rd Downs Eff. 8 1
4rd Downs Att. 1 1
4rd Downs Eff. 1 1


Total Yards 302 320
Pass Yards 179 211
Pass Ints. 0 1
Total Offense 216 267
Rush Yards 37 56
Time of Poss. 19:37 12:23
Score 17 21


Red Zone Atts. 3 2
Red Zone Fgs. 1 0
Red Zone Tds. 1 2

Congrats on the Division win Greg

Awesome work, G-Ford! You slayed the dragon!

Changing of the guard!! Nice one Greg!

gregfood wrote:
4rd Downs

I laughed. Great work, Greg.

mikesuszek wrote:

gregfood wrote:
4rd Downs

I laughed. Great work, Greg.

Ha! I didn't even notice that. Guess that's how the online stats are written, and I most certainly approve.

Thanks for the congrats, everyone! It was quite a turnaround year for Patriot Nation.