Drake Maye Accounts for 3 TDs as Patriots Rally Past Dolphins 24-19, Dropping Miami to 1-6

Drake Maye threw two touchdown passes and ran for a third as the New England Patriots erased a 10-point halftime deficit to beat the Miami Dolphins 24-19 on Sunday before 59,023 fans at Hard Rock Stadium. The loss dropped Miami to 1-6, a week after Malik Willis led the Dolphins to their first win of the season, 28-25 over the New York Jets.

Miami led 13-3 at the half behind two Zane Gonzalez field goals and a Willis touchdown pass to Malik Washington, but New England scored 21 straight points after the break. Willis threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to rookie Kevin Coleman Jr. with 2:04 left, and the Patriots (5-3) recovered the ensuing onside kick to run out the clock.

Miami's best half of the season

The Dolphins' defense set the tone early. Linebacker Jacob Rodriguez stripped Efton Chism III after a catch in the first quarter, and cornerback JuJu Brents recovered at the New England 19, setting up Gonzalez's 31-yard field goal to tie the game 3-3. Gonzalez, in his second game since re-signing with Miami, followed with a 52-yard kick that bounced off the left upright and through for a 6-3 lead.

New England then drove 43 yards over 12 plays, only for Andy Borregales to miss a 40-yard field goal wide right. Willis answered with an 11-play, 70-yard drive in the final two minutes, capped by a 1-yard touchdown pass to Washington with eight seconds left in the half. Washington had briefly left the drive after a hard hit from linebacker Christian Elliss, who was flagged for unnecessary roughness, and returned five plays later for his first receiving touchdown of the season.

"I thought it was probably the best half that we played all year in the first half in some phases," Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley said, according to The Associated Press. He added that those are "the opportunities where you've got to learn to put people away."

How New England came back

Chop Robinson's sack forced a three-and-out on the Patriots' first possession of the second half, but the momentum shifted on their next drive. Maye lofted a deep pass to Kyle Williams that was ruled incomplete after Williams' knee appeared to jar the ball loose. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel challenged, and replays showed Williams crossed the goal line before losing the ball, turning the play into a 43-yard touchdown that made it 13-10.

"I was a lot more certain than the officials were the first time they called it," Vrabel said.

Miami went three-and-out on its next series after running back Ollie Gordon II drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for words to a defender following a 5-yard carry. Hafley pulled Gordon for a play, and Willis was seen talking to him on the sideline.

"Ollie is a competitor, and he cares about the game a lot," Willis said. "And I was just letting him know that in that situation, that he's ... wrong. I mean, that's the honest truth. And it would be wrong if I didn't tell him the truth."

New England then put together a 13-play, 73-yard drive that ended with Maye faking a pitch to Rhamondre Stevenson and running in from 2 yards out with 59 seconds left in the third quarter, giving the Patriots a 17-13 lead. It was Maye's fifth straight game with at least three total touchdowns, according to the AP.

Early in the fourth quarter, safety Kevin Byard intercepted a deep Willis pass intended for Caleb Douglas at the New England 47. Two plays later, DeMario Douglas caught a short pass and weaved through the Miami secondary for a 48-yard touchdown and a 24-13 lead with 12:39 to play.

Miami's next drive reached the New England 25 but ended when Gonzalez missed a 43-yard field goal wide left with 6:45 remaining.

Maye's efficient day

Maye completed 16 of 20 passes for 199 yards despite playing without receivers A.J. Brown and Mack Hollins and running back TreVeyon Henderson. Stevenson carried 19 times for 82 yards, and Douglas finished with three catches for 76 yards.

"(If) you want to be a great quarterback in the National Football League, there's not a whole lot of excuses," Vrabel said of Maye. Maye said the Patriots believed they would score once they settled in. "We knew that once we settle in and get some drives together," he said, "we had a chance of getting some points on the board."

The key numbers from both teams are below.

Willis and the Dolphins' young core

Willis completed 21 of 32 passes for 211 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, but he was sacked five times as the Patriots' front took over in the second half. Gordon led Miami with 69 rushing yards on 19 carries. Washington caught five passes for 40 yards, and Coleman had three catches for 46 yards and his late touchdown.

After the Coleman score cut the lead to 24-19, Willis' two-point conversion pass failed. Stevenson then recovered Bradley Pinion's onside kick at the Miami 43, and New England ran out the final two minutes.

Defensively, linebacker Jordyn Brooks had 11 tackles, Robinson recorded two sacks, his third multi-sack game, according to the team, and Josh Uche added one. For New England, defensive lineman Cory Durden had 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hits. The Dolphins held New England to 6 of 14 on third down, but the Patriots converted both of their fourth-down attempts.

Injuries

Patriots tight end Hunter Henry left in the second quarter with a foot injury and did not return, and linebacker Gabe Jacas left in the third quarter with a knee injury. Dolphins edge rusher Malik Herring left in the second quarter with a stinger but returned in the third.

What's next

The Dolphins stay home to face the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 1 p.m. at Hard Rock Stadium, before road trips to Indianapolis and Buffalo. Miami sits last in the AFC East, five games behind first-place Buffalo in the loss column. The Patriots host the Green Bay Packers next Sunday.