User:STP43FAN/Dolphins-Patriots rivalry

The Miami Dolphins-New England Patriots rivalry is an American football rivalry that takes place between two of the four teams in the American Football Conference's Eastern Division. The twice-a-year rivalry pits two franchises dating from the American Football League and the two most successful franchises in the AFC East against each other; the Dolphins have won two Super Bowls - VII and VIII to go with three additional AFC titles (in 1971, '82, and '84), fourteen division titles, 476 regular season wins (entering 2022), and 20 playoff wins, the most recent in 2000. The Patriots, meanwhile, had 529 wins pending 2022 and 37 playoff wins with an NFL record-tying number of six Super Bowl wins (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX, LI, and LIII), five additional AFC Titles (1985, '96, 2007,  2011, and 2017), and twenty AFC East titles (plus one AFL East title, in 1963); in 2012 the Patriots broke a tie with the Dolphins for most division titles with their fifteenth.

The Patriots and Dolphins were the first teams in the AFC East to reach 400 combined regular season and playoff wins before Buffalo reached 400, while in 2016 the Patriots became the first American Football League-originated team to reach 500 career wins; the Dolphins stand at 496 combined wins with 2022 pending.

The Dolphins and Patriots are associated with the quest for perfection. In 1972 the Dolphins authored the only post-1970 era sweep of the entirety of the NFL season, winning all 17 games, regular season and playoff, en route to winning Super Bowl VII. Thirty-five years later the Patriots topped 17 wins by winning the first 18 games of the 2007 season but fell in a stunning upset in Super Bowl XLII; both the Dolphins and Patriots are thus the only teams since the 1970 merger to sweep the entirety of a regular season.

The Dolphins presently lead the rivalry with 55 regular season wins to 51 Patriot wins; the Patriots, however, presently lead in playoff matches 2-1. In the 2013 season the Patriots won their seventh straight meeting in a 27-17 comeback win at Foxboro before the Dolphins ended that streak in a 24-20 win at Miami. The Patriots entering 2020 have won 23 of the first 34 meetings between the two clubs since 2002 divisional realignment.

Nine players who spent the majority of their careers with the Dolphins, plus Dolphins coach Don Shula are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame - Paul Warfield, Larry Czonka, Jim Langer, Bob Griese, Larry Little, Dwight Stephenson, Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas, and Dan Marino -  while six  Patriots players - John Hannah, Andre Tippett, Mike Haynes, Randy Moss, Ty Law,  and Curtis Martin - and coach Bill Parcells are in the Hall; Linebacker Nick Buoniconti is in the Hall having played for both teams; Junior Seau is in the Hall after spending three seasons (2003-05) in Miami and most of four (2006-09) in Foxboro.

Players who have been involved with both clubs include Buoniconti, Irving Fryar, Larry Izzo, Seau, Scott Zolak, Jabar Gaffney, Bryan Cox, Dedric Ward, Damon Huard, Scott Secules, Sammy Morris, Greg Baty, Ray Lucas, Robert Edwards, Terrell Buckley, and Chris Singleton. Parcells was head coach of the Patriots 1993-6 and in 2008 joined the Dolphins in their front office for three seasons. Quarterback Brady Quinn was granted a workout with the Patriots in 2014 but signed with the Dolphins. Former Patriots assistant coach Brian Flores was hired as Dolphins head coach in 2019.

A broadcaster who has been involved with both teams is Bob Gallagher, who broadcast for both teams in the 1960s. Howard David was a broadcaster for the Dolphins and also the Boston Celtics as well as some Patriots games, though as a Westwood One broadcaster. National broadcaster Dick Stockton has broadcast Dolphins preseason games on local television and Patriots games on national television.

Dan Marino compiled a record of 17-13 against the Patriots with 42 touchdowns and 46 interceptions. Tom Brady ended his twenty seasons with the Patriots with a record of 23-12 with 67 touchdowns and 27 interceptions.

Notable games
The Dolphins debuted in the AFL in 1966 and first faced the Patriots in November. The Patriots entered at 5-3-2 while the Dolphins were 2-8. The Patriots scored the first 20 points of the game (and the rivalry) as Babe Parilli tossed a 22-yard touchdown to Art Graham, Jim Nance rushed in a 27-yard score, and Gino Cappelletti booted two field goals. Malcolm "Dick" Wood of the Dolphins tossed a pair of touchdowns but it wasn't enough for a 20-14 Patriots win.
 * November 27, 1966 @ Miami

The Dolphins improved in 1967 but were still years away from finding success. In December they hosted the Patriots looking for their fourth win of the season while the Patriots were seeking their fourth. Bob Griese had taken over as Dolphins quarterback, and after a goalline fumble returned for a Patriots touchdown Griese led the Dolphins and found Jack Clancy from three yards out. Jack Harper and Stan Mitchell caught two more Griese touchdowns while Jimmy Warren caught a lateral and scored; Dick Westmoreland them ran back a Parilli interception for a 20-yard touchdown. Jim Nance and Bob Cappadona scored for the Patriots but failed two-point conversion attempts punctuated a 41-32 Dolphins win.
 * December 17, 1967 @ Miami

The Dolphins played the Patriots in Tampa Bay (a city vying to get a pro football team at the time) in the final weeks of the AFL's existence as an independent football league. The Dolphins by this time had begun building the core of their future Super Bowl teams with running backs Jim Kiick and Larry Czonka and rookie Mercury Morris, though at 2-8-1 were still a few years away. The Patriots, at 3-8, were in the midst of a nine-year stretch of struggle and instability. After a pair of Kiick touchdowns made the score 16-6 Miami, Morris was downed in the Miami endzone by Ezell Jones for a Patriots safety; from here new Patriots quarterback Mike Taliaferro rallied with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns. Despite a goalline fumble scored by Gene Milton for the Dolphins, the Patriots pulled away for a 38-23 win.
 * November 30, 1969 @ Tampa Bay

The first weekend of the post-merger NFL was also the debut weekend of Don Shula as Dolphins head coach. The opening kickoff involved a bizarre circumstance; running back Bob Gladieux had been cut days earlier; he went partying with his buddies and went to the game, but during warmups the PA system paged "Would Bob Gladieux please report to the Patriots locker room." He went there and learned another player had been cut on game morning and he was signed back to the squad; he made the tackle on the Dolphins kick return. The Patriots raced to a 27-14 win, the final win for coach Clive Rush.
 * September 20, 1970 @ Boston

Don Shula's Dolphins became a Super Bowl power almost immediately and it showed in a 41-3 slaughter of the Patriots led by rookie Jim Plunkett. The Dolphins' Morris-Kiick-Czonka backfield was aided by Hubert Ginn's 54 rushing yards as Miami rushed for 215 yards and a one-yard Kiick score. Bob Griese added to Miami's firepower with 244 passing yards and four touchdowns, two to Paul Warfield. Plunkett was sacked seven times by Bill Arnsparger's burgeoning No-Name Defense.
 * October 17, 1971 @ Miami

The Dolphins were racing to their perfect season of 1972 and the Patriots, in what turned out to be John Mazur's last game, were steamrolled 52-0. Mercury Morris ran in three touchdowns while Larry Czonka ran in a fourth. Brian Griese did not play, as Earl Morrall tossed a 16 yard touchdown to Marlin Briscoe; Briscoe then caught a 51-yard score from Jim Del Gaizo and Jim Mandich caught a 39-yard score from Del Gaizo. Jim Plunkett threw two picks and was replaced by Brian Dowling, who added a third interception.
 * November 12, 1972 @ Miami

Chuck Fairbanks was hired as Patriots coach but his first encounter with Don Shula's Dolphins didn't go much better than John Mazur's last. Mercury Morris rushed for 197 yards and three touchdowns while John Tarver of the Patriots rushed for two scores. Bob Griese needed only 74 yards of passing to lead the Dolphins to a 44-23 win.
 * September 30, 1973 @ Miami

The first sign that the New England Patriots would become a legitimate contender came as they opened the 1974 season against the two-time defending Super Bowl champs. The Dolphins began the season under a cloud: Larry Czonka, Paul Warfield, and Jim Kiick had announced they would sign for the Memphis Southmen of the WFL in March, so the 1974 NFL season would be their last with the Dolphins. Touchdowns by Czonka and Mack Herron left the score tied at seven, then in the second quarter the Patriots opened up on offense with a Reggie Rucker touchdown catch from Jim Plunkett and a five-yard rushing score by Plunkett. Sophmore Sam Cunningham's touchdown in the third quarter effectively put the game away at 31-10, offsetting touchdowns by Czonka and Marlin Briscoe ending a 34-24 Patriots win.
 * September 15, 1974 @ Foxboro

The Dolphins finished 10-4 in 1975 but missed the playoffs while the Patriots collapsed to 3-11 and traded disgruntled quarterback Jim Plunkett to the 49ers. Sophmore Steve Grogan took over under center. The Patriots offensive backfield took over the game, as Sam Cunningham, Don Calhoun, and Andy Johnson pounded through Miami's defense, but it was Grogan who caught the Dolphins off-guard as he ran in a 13-yard touchdown in the second quarter. The Patriots erupted to 278 rushing yards, setting up three Grogan touchdown throws and a 30-14 Patriots win.
 * September 19, 1976 @ Foxboro

The 11-5 Patriots defeated the New York Jets and Los Angeles Raiders in the 1985 playoffs while the 12-4 Dolphins defeated the Cleveland Browns. With the Chicago Bears winning the NFC Championship Game the expectation around football was the Bears would face the Dolphins (the team that ended Chicago's quest for a perfect season) in Super Bowl XX. However the upstart Patriots, winless at the Orange Bowl since 1966, never let Dan Marino gather any winning momentum; Craig James, Robert Weathers, and Tony Collins stunned the Dolphins by rushing for 253 yards, setting up three Tony Eason touchdown throws and a one-yard Mosi Tatupu rushing score. Marino threw two touchdowns (the 13th of his playoff career) and two interceptions (the tenth of his playoff career) as the Dolphins were pounded 31-14; it would be the last conference title game for Marino until 1990 while Hall of Famer-to-be John Hannah played in what turned out to be his final win for the Patriots in the NFL.
 * AFC Championship Game, January 12 1986 @ Miami

The Orange Bowl played its final season in 1986 as the new Joe Robbie Stadium was completed as its 1987 replacement. The final NFL game for the venerable old stadium (it continued as an NCAA football and pro soccer venue until it was replaced by Marlins Park in 2008) was against the Patriots, entering at 10-5 with the Dolphins having rallied from a 4-6 record to be 8-7. The game was a tight contest as the two offenses were all but even (New England led in yards 390-388) and a second-quarter Patriots lead of 13-3 was wiped out by two Marino touchdowns and a field goal. The Patriots opened the game with Tony Eason but the flimsy Eason was knocked out of the game and Steve Grogan took over. With the Patriots down 20-13 in the third Grogan led a drive ending in his seven-yard touchdown run. In the fourth Marino's 19-yard score to Mark Clayton put Miami back up 27-20, but Grogan answered with a 12-yarder to Tony Collins, then finished off the Dolphins on a 30-yard strike to Stanley Morgan and a 34-27 Patriots win.
 * Monday Night Football, December 22, 1986 @ Miami

The Patriots collapsed after 1988 to 5-11 and coach Raymond Berry was fired, replaced by Rod Rust; it proved to be the worst possible decision as the Patriots of 1990 became not only the worst team on the football field but became reviled for incidents off it (ultimately leading to wholesale changes in the coaching staff and front office, and the ultimate insult of a mocking comedy skit by Phil Hartman on Saturday Night Live); the first of fifteen losses in 1990 came in a closely contested affair in the opening weekend of the season. Steve Grogan, in one of his final games, threw touchdowns to Marv Cook and Irving Fryar and the Patriots led 21-13 at the half, but Dan Marino led three scoring drives ending in a Sammie Smith rushing score and throws to Tony Martin and Tony Paige, erasing the Patriots lead for a 27-24 Dolphins win, the first of 12 leading Miami back to the playoffs.
 * September 9, 1990 @ Foxboro

James Orthwein had purchased the struggling Patriots franchise in 1992 with indication of desire to move the team to St. Louis to become the Stallions; many in the sellout crowd at the old Foxboro Stadium believed it was the final game for a New England NFL team, unaware that stadium owner Robert Kraft controlled the team's lease. The Dolphins were without Dan Marino after he was lost for the year to injury in Week Five. Scott Mitchell was under center for the 9-6 Dolphins, who needed a win to make the playoffs; the Patriots under new coach Bill Parcells and rookie Drew Bledsoe had lost eleven of the team's first twelve games but had won three straight entering the season finale. The Patriots clawed to a 17-10 lead after three quarters before a scoring explosion ensued in the fourth; the Dolphins scored two touchdowns but the Patriots retook the lead late in the quarter; Pete Stoyanovich's field goal forced overtime. In the overtime the Patriots survived a Bledsoe interception and forced a Dolphins punt; Vincent Brisby fumbled a catch but teammate Leonard Russell ran the ball 22 yards, setting up a 36-yard Bledsoe touchdown to Michael Timpson. The 33-27 overtime Patriots win knocked Miami out of the playoffs.
 * January 2, 1994 @ Foxboro

Entering the 1994 season the Patriots were a completely new organization under ownership of Newton, MA businessman Robert Kraft with head coach Bill Parcells and sophmore quarterback Drew Bledsoe; the Dolphins entering this game were also under new ownership, in the person of Wayne Huizenga. Dan Marino's first game after missing most of 1993 opened with a 64-yard touchdown to Mark Ingram and the halftime score was 14-10, played on a field shared with the Florida Marlins and soaked by overnight rains; with the baseball diamond in place the dirt portion made footing more difficult, yet Bledsoe and Marino put up a combined 894 passing yards and were sacked only three times combined. A dramatic 63-yard Bledsoe bomb to Ben Coates and a five-yard Michael Timpson touchdown catch in the third were answered by Marino scores to Keith Jackson and two long-range scores to former Patriot Irving Fryar plus a Terry Kirby two-point conversion (the first in pro football since the AFL decade). In the fourth Bledsoe found a diving Ray Crittenden from 23 yards out and the Dolphins, down 35-32, faced a fourth-down play from the Patriots 35; Marino went for it and went deep for Fryar; he caught the touchdown and the Patriots' last-minute drive was stopped, ending a wild 39-35 Dolphins win.
 * September 4, 1994 @ Miami

Dan Marino broke Fran Tarkenton's all-time passing yardage record with a pass to Irving Fryar early in the first quarter, ultimately setting a new record at 47,299 yards this day. Following a Curtis Martin touchdown Marino's pass to Bernie Parmalee tied the game 7-7. The two teams traded field goals, with Matt Bahr's kick a career-high 55 yards (this after a 19-yard attempt bounced off the crossbar). The two teams traded touchdowns - Bledsoe to Vincent Brisby, Marino to O.J. McDuffie - then Marino fumbled on a sack by Willie McGinest, leading to a Bledsoe pass that bounced off Dave Meggett's hands into the hands of Ben Coates in the endzone. Myron Guyton's interception set up another Martin score and a 47-yard Bahr field goal and a 34-17 Patriots win, their first in Miami since 1988.
 * November 12, 1995 @ Miami

The Patriots authored the first three-game sweep in the rivalry's history. On November 23 at Foxboro Stadium the Patriots raced to a 27-3 lead as Dave Meggett threw a halfback pass to Troy Brown for a touchdown, then Larry Whigham and Jimmy Hitchcock picked off Dan Marino and scored (Hitchcock set a league record with a 100-yard Pick Six). Marino then led three scoring drives ending in Karim Abdul-Jabbar touchdown runs, but three interceptions sealed a 27-24 Patriots win. On December 22 on Monday Night Football the two teams met at 9-6 with the AFC East on the line. Marrio Grier and Meggett ran in touchdowns following two Olindo Mare field goals. Marino tossed an eight-yard score to Lamar Thomas but the two-point try failed. Marino was then sacked and threw an interception to Lawyer Milloy to end a 14-12 Patriots win and the first back-to-back division titles in their history. The wildcard round of the AFC playoffs began the following Saturday on December 28 at Foxboro. In his second career playoff game against the Patriots Marino came up well short; he completed just 17 of 43 passes and Todd F. Collins intercepted Marino and ran back a 40-yard touchdown while Troy Brown caught a 24-yard touchdown from Drew Bledsoe. The 17-3 win was Bledsoe's third career playoff win and Marino's eighth career playoff loss.
 * 1997 season

The Patriots hosted the Dolphins following announcement that the Patriots would move to Hartford, CT in 2001 to a new stadium (a deal aborted the following April). With the Dolphins leading 23-19 the Patriots drove down field; Drew Bledsoe struck the helmet of Todd Rucci and broke the index finger on his right hand; despite having backup Scott Zolak warm up Bledsoe stayed in the game and completed a touchdown to Shawn Jefferson with thirty seconds left, winning the game 26-23.
 * November 23, 1998 @ Foxboro

The Patriots entered Week Seven of the 2003 season a half game behind Miami in the division race. The Dolphins and Patriots struggled to hold onto the ball and Miami led 13-6 in the third quarter before Brady launched a touchdown to a leaping David Givens, tying the game. In the fourth the Dolphins drove down field and controversy erupted when Ricky Williams appeared to be downed short of a first down but kept going to convert the down; the Patriots challenged the call, but Williams ran in the dirt infield portion of the stadium used by the Florida Marlins and the fact there was no dirt on his legs led to denial of the Patriots challenge. At the two minute warning the Dolphins attempted a 35-yard field goal attempt but the kick was blocked. The Dolphins smothered the Patriots' ensuing drive; the key play came when former Patriot Terrell Buckley blew up a toss-sweep to Kevin Faulk for a loss. Controversy then ensued on the coin toss; Patriots captain Tom Brady called "Tails" and referee Gerald Austin used a silver dollar; it came up Lady Columbia (which is "heads" on a silver dollar) but the Patriots protested the toss; the controversy confused the two teams' radio announcers (Gil Santos and Jim Mandich) as well. The Dolphins drove downfield but another field goal attempt missed. The Patriots were forced to punt but on the Dolphins drive Tedy Bruschi went after Jay Fiedler and Fiedler threw an interception to Tyrone Poole. Brady then finished it off on an 82-yard touchdown bomb to Troy Brown, for a 19-13 win.
 * October 19, 2003 @ Miami

The Patriots set an NFL record in a 41-14 massacre of the Dolphins on Monday Night Football as they became the first team to score touchdowns five different ways - on a kick return (Brandon Tate on the opening kick of the third quarter), rushing (BenJarvus Green-Ellis), passing (Tom Brady to Danny Woodhead), off a blocked field goal attempt (Pat Chung blocked a Dolphins field goal kick and Kyle Arrington ran back the touchdown), and on an interception return (by Chung). The game became more memorable, however, for the subsequent development involving Randy Moss; Moss was caught on camera calling a snap huddle during the National Anthem and haranguing players to fire them up; he interrupted a meeting of special teams players to give a crude pep talk; and a touchdown pass off a fake spike from Brady bounced off his hands. It became the last pass thrown to Moss as a Patriot, as he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings two days later.
 * Monday Night Football October 4, 2010 @ Miami

The Patriots wrapped up a 14-2 season by hammering the Dolphins 38-7. Tom Brady threw for 199 yards and touchdowns to Rob Gronkowski and Alge Crumpler while backup Brian Hoyer threw for 122 yards and a touchdown to Brandon Tate. Julian Edelman ran back a 94-yard touchdown off a Dolphins punt, while BenJarvus Green-Ellis added a one-yard rushing score; Green-Ellis' 80 rushing yards allowed him to break the 1,000-yard marker for the season (1,008 yards and thirteen touchdowns in all). Chad Henne had just six completions and a pick and backup Tyler Thigpen managed a fourth-quarter touchdown throw to Davone Bess. The loss left the Dolphins at 7-9 for the season and angered running back Ricky Williams (held to just six rushing yards) enough that in an interview with WQAM's Sid Rosenberg the following Monday Williams ripped the Dolphins, saying the Patriots, with nothing to play for (having already secured a playoff bye the week before) nonetheless "played harder than any team we played all year." Williams was particularly critical of coach Tony Sparano, accusing him of having a "micromanaging" coaching style; Williams also criticized Brandon Marshall for public criticism of quarterback Chad Henne.
 * January 2, 2011 @ Foxboro

The Patriots for the second straight season made history on Monday Night on the road against the Dolphins, as Tom Brady threw for a career-high and Monday Night-record 517 yards and four touchdowns, highlighted by a 99-yard score to Wes Welker following a 4th down Dolphins incompletion. Chad Henne of the Dolphins threw for a career-high 422 yards but could not prevent a 38-24 Patriots win. The Welker score led to the cutting of Dolphins corner Benny Sapp, who was not able to stop the play.
 * Monday Night Football September 12, 2011 @ Miami

Having secured the AFC East the previous Sunday the Patriots fell behind the Dolphins 17-0 at halftime; a Stephen Gostkowski field goal attempt at the end of the second quarter missed. In the third quarter Gostkowski booted a 45-yard field goal, then the Dolphins fumbled to the Patriots on back-to-back possessions; Tom Brady scored off both turnovers (a pass to Deion Branch and a quarterback sneak) to tie the game; a second Gostkowski field goal and a second Brady rushing score put the Patriots up 27-17; Matt Moore managed a 15-yard score to Davone Bess after the two-minute warning, but the Patriots ran out the remaining time to secure the 27-24 comeback win. It was the club's biggest comeback since erasing a 27-6 gap to beat the Bears in 2002; the Patriots would stage a bigger comeback (erasing a 21-0 gap) the ensuing week against Buffalo.
 * Christmas Eve December 24, 2011 @ Foxboro

The Patriots secured a playoff bye after shutting out the Dolphins 28-0 the day after a snowstorm hit the area. Tom Brady had two touchdown throws and Stevan Ridley ran in two scores; the final score of the game came on a touchdown throw to Rob Gronkowski, returning to the team following injury late in New England's November 18 win over Indianapolis. The game marked the final regular season game for broadcaster Gil Santos; he was rejoined by his longtime color analyst Gino Cappelletti for the game's first quarter alongside regular color analyst Scott Zolak; during the third quarter CBS Sports briefly simulcast Santos on their telecast of the game. During a pregame ceremony honoring Santos team owner Robert Kraft announced Santos would be inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in 2013.
 * December 30, 2012 @ Foxboro

The season series was split with the home team winning both times. On October 27 the Dolphins jumped to a 17-3 halftime lead on two Ryan Tannehill touchdowns, but in the second half the Patriots forced two Tannehill interceptions, scored 27 unanswered points, and blocked a late field goal attempt to win 27-17. The two teams combined for 306 rushing yards (led by Lamar Miller's 89), almost tying their combined passing yardage (308). On December 15 Tannehill and Tom Brady put up a combined 676 passing yards; the Patriots erased a 17-10 Dolphins lead in the final five minutes, but Tannehill put the Dolphins ahead 24-20 with 1:15 to go; Brady raced the Patriots to the Miami 5-yard line but was picked off in the endzone. The game ended a seven-game winning streak for the Patriots in the series.
 * 2013 season

The Patriots started Jimmy Garoppolo with Tom Brady under league-mandated suspension during Week Two; Garoppolo threw three touchdowns but was injured on a 15-yard pass to Malcolm Mitchell late in the second quarter and lost for the next two games. Rookie Jacoby Brissett finished the game as the Dolphins clawed back from a 24-0 gap; leading 31-24 Brissett led the Patriots to the Miami 21 with 1:08 to go but a 39-yard Stephen Gostkowski field goal attempt missed; Ryan Tannehill drove the Dolphins to the Patriots 29 yard line but was intercepted with nine seconds left by Duron Harmon. The 31-24 loss was part of an 0-2 start for the Dolphins, but despite falling to 1-4 Miami rallied to win ten of the next eleven games, and in the process the Dolphins made the AFC playoffs for the first time since 2008; however starter Ryan Tannehill was injured late in the season. On January 1, 2017 the Dolphins hosted the Patriots at newly-renovated Hard Rock Stadium, which now boasted among other changes a massive set of overhangs atop the grandstands; the grass surface, however, angered Bill Belichick as it was slick and had been worn down due to the Orange Bowl won 33-32 by Florida State a few days earlier. Despite the grass surface the Patriots won 35-14 and locked up the AFC's top playoff seed; newly-acquired receiver Michael Floyd turned heads, first with a 14-yard touchdown catch where he bowled through four Miami defenders at the goalline, then with a crushing block on Tony Lippett during a 77-yard Julian Edelman touchdown.
 * 2016 season

Tom Brady was released and signed with the Buccaneers and the Patriots signed Cam Newton in his stead. Newton debuted at Gillette Stadium, completing fifteen passes and rushing for 75 yards and two scores in a 21-11 Patriots win. Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick with highly-regarded rookie Tua Tagovailoa waiting in the wings was intercepted three times.
 * September 13, 2020

The Patriots drafted Alabama quarterback Mac Jones and released Newton following the 2021 preseason. Jones completed 29 of 39 passes for 281 yards and a touchdown but a late fumble by Damien Harris ended a late Patriots rally. The result was a 17-16 Dolphins win.
 * September 12, 2021