MORSE: Patriots Can’t Overcome the Dolphins and the Officials’ Poor Calls
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“The New England Patriots had every reason to be angry following an incomplete pass from Mac Jones to wide receiver DeVante Parker in the third quarter of their game against the Miami Dolphins.” This is how Bernd Buchmasser led his SB Nation story.
“The wideout, after all, was hit in the helmet by Dolphins defensive back DeShon Elliott. However, no flag was thrown by the officials.”
This is from Michael Hurley’s X account: “No clue how you don’t rule violent contact to the head/neck of a defenseless receiver here. Kind of a textbook case.” Parker was knocked out of the game on that hit.
Then later in the game, JuJu Smith-Schuster makes a clean hit on the Miami Safety, breaking up an interception, and the Officials throw a flag. They were going to call an unnecessary roughness penalty on Smith-Schuster. Before the penalty was announced, they changed the call to Unsportsmanlike Conduct – Taunting. Bulls+*%t call. You didn’t have to be a lip reader to see a slow-motion review of Bill Belichick saying Bulls_*$t on National TV. Smith-Schuster didn’t taunt the player at all.
My pet peeve was the non-calls by the officials on the numerous infractions by Tyreek Hill and Braxton Berrios when they were in motion and turning up field before the snap of the ball starting with the Dolphins second play from scrimmage. That was approximately 6 times. Belichick could be seen imploring the Official on the sideline to make the call. That’s Canadian Football not the NFL. Huge advantage for the receiver getting the jump on the Defensive back.
However, the worst is yet to come. With the score 24-17, at the 3:36 mark of the 4th quarter, the ball was on the Patriots 34-yard line, 2nd and 4. Mostert ran up the middle and was held up at the 31-yard line. There was no whistle and a Patriots defender punched ball out of his arms. The Dolphins recovered but the ball and it ended up on the 38-yard line which would have made it 3rd and 8, instead of 3rd and 1. This was no different than the bogus call last season when Rhamondre Stevenson’s forward progress was stopped, yet a Raiders defender stripped him of the ball. The sideline parabolic microphones pick up everything, including the players swearing. On the replay there was no whistle stopping the play. Yet the Referee decides it was forward progress. Players are taught from a young age to play to the whistle. There was no whistle to stop the play. Screwed again. Why is it the patriots always get screwed by the refs? The Dolphins eventually scored putting this game out of hand.
Patriots run defenders stuffed the Miami’s number one ranked rushing offense. That may be in part because of the banged-up Dolphins Offensive line, as opposed to what a great job the D-line did. The Dolphins started just two starters on the O-Line with Liam Eichenberg coming in for Center Connor Williams. Eichenberg lost his starting LG job to Isaiah Wynn. Wynn and LT Terron Armstead are on IR. Kendall Lamm and 3rd string Guard Lester Cotton started in their places. Not exactly an all-star lineup. Christian Barmore played well. Deatrich Wise was invisible with just 1 assisted tackle on the controversial fumble play by Mostert. However, losing Ja’Whaun Bentley early in the game allowed the Dolphins to control the Time of Possession. They ran just enough and on 3rd down they made 5 of 14 plays for 1st downs. Jalani Tavai was just awful. The Patriots used Adrian Phillips and Mack Wilson as LBs to replace Bentley. Wilson ended up with 7 tackles in one of his better games.
That was the worst game I have seen the secondary play all year, they allowed Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle to make 15 catches for 233 yards. Something they haven’t been doing was giving up the big play. Not today, Marte Mapu playing Free Safety allowed Tyreek Hill to get behind him. Brian Belichick should be fired for playing Mapu in this position this week and Kyle Dugger there last week. Mapu is a linebacker or Strong Safety, not a Free Safety. That’s two weeks in a row that the Patriots secondary was beat deep. Today it was Hill for 42 yards. Later in the game it’s Jonathan Jones switching off Jaylen Waddle and picking-up Tyreek Hill while he is in motion. Jack Jones doesn’t switch and trails Hill and nobody stays with Jaylen Waddle. They were playing zero-safety and the middle was wide open, allowing Waddle to walk into the endzone from 32 yards out. Please move Jonathan Jones to full time Free Safety.
The Patriots forced more turnovers than the Dolphins but couldn’t take advantage of it. They did score a TD on the INT but couldn’t punch it in on the second, a fumble recovery. They settled for a Field Goal. On the flip side, Mac Jones throws an INT while the team was in Field Goal range towards the end of the 1st half. Jones lofted the ball downfield when he should have zipped the ball. He allowed Jalen Ramsey to make a great play on the ball. It was an ill-designed play. Ramsey trailed DeVante Parker going deep, with Safety help over the top. Who is going to double cover Parker, no one. Ramsey drops off and Jones hangs up the pass allowing Ramsey to come back on pick off the pass. The INT was returned to the 40. There was 1:46 left in the first half and Miami moved the ball down to 14-yard line in 8 plays. Sanders kicked an FG, that’s a 10-point swing. Instead of being tied at half they were down 17-7. I am beginning to think that Mac Jones does not have the physical ability to be a starting QB in the NFL.
Injuries were a big part of this game. Sidy Sow started the game at RG but was quickly replaced by Antonio Mafi, who didn’t play well again. Ja’Whuan Bentley’s absence was obvious. DaVante Parker was knocked out by a helmet-to-helmet hit (no call) and Kendrick Bourne appeared to injure his knee. Sports Illustrated and the NFL Network said that Bourne will have an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of the injury. It is hoped that it is only an MCL sprain.
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