Patriots avert disaster vs. Dolphins with big second half from Drake Maye to keep pace in stacked AFC playoff race

Sunday’s game against the the Miami Dolphins was a microcosm of the New England Patriots’ season. Quarterback Drake Maye was terrible early and the Patriots were trailing on the scoreboard. He then turned in on late to pile rally against the Dolphins to lead a 24-19 win. With the win, the Patriots have won four of their last five games following a concerning 1-2 start. And they improved to 5-3 to keep pace in what’s shaping up as a competitive AFC playoff race. The Patriots went into halftime without a touchdown and trailing a one-win Dolphins team, 13-3. Maye had thrown for 53 yards and taken two sacks as Miami’s offense had out gained New England’s 123-97.But the third quarter belonged to the Patriots. New England dominated the ball and the scoreboard with a 14-0 advantage in the frame to seize control and avert potential disaster against a bad Dolphins team. Maye accounted for both touchdowns in the third quarter. One arrived via a 43-yard deep ball to Kyle Williams. TOUCHDOWN, KW 🏈📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/AcObsjWt8v— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 1, 2026The second arrived courtesy of a nifty juke move on a desgined run from the 2-yard line that gave New England a 17-13 lead.WHAT A PLAY BY DRAKE MAYE!📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/JsUgKRSAy1— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 1, 2026Drake Maye’s second touchdown pass extended New England’s lead to 24-13 with 12:39 remaining, and the Patriots appeared to be in complete control.But the Dolphins weren’t done. They struck back with a 35-yard touchdown from Malik Willis to Kevin Coleman Jr. to cut the New England lead to 24-19 with 2:04 remaining, putting pressure back on Maye and New England’s offense. The Patriots responded, thanks to a tough 5-yard run from Rhamondre Stevenson on third-and-5 that secured a first down and allowed New England to run out the clock. Maye finished his day completing 16 of 20 passes for 199 yards with 2 touchdowns and no turnovers. He added a third touchdown on the ground as New England scored all three of its touchdowns after halftime.The win for the Patriots were in an AFC playoff race in which eight teams will leave Sunday’s games at 5-3 or better.