10 takeaways from Patriots' final regular season win over Dolphins

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FOXBOROUGH — The New England Patriots certainly have a lot to clean up as they turn their focus to the playoffs. But a win is a win, and the team certainly stepped it up in the second half despite a struggling second quarter.

At halftime, the Patriots only held a seven-point lead, with the Dolphins getting the ball to start the third quarter. However, they completely shut out Miami for the final two frames, while putting up a few more scores. So with that, New England came away with the 38-10 victory.

Here are the takeaways from the Patriots' beat down on the Dolphins:

1. No stopping Rhamondre Stevenson

The Patriots have truly figured out their running back duo, with Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson stepping up for the team this season. And based on his performance throughout the past few games, the veteran back certainly deserves his flowers.

On Sunday, Stevenson finished the day with 131 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns, along with 22 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.

2. Stefon Diggs, Hunter Henry, and K'Lavon Chaisson make some extra money

Incentives!!

Three Patriots players padded their wallets on Sunday afternoon, hitting some incentives in the final regular-season game. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs kicked things off, surpassing 1,000 receiving yards this season to earn a $500,000 bonus. Tight end Hunter Henry needed five more receptions to hit 60 this season and got those to make an additional $250,000. Lastly, K'Lavon Chaisson's sack, putting him at 7.5 this season, allowed him to get an additional $500,000.

3. Defense forcing some major turnovers

It was a slower start for the defense, but they were able to force some turnovers that gave them the ball back in crucial moments.

It began with a fourth-down stop on the Dolphins' first drive. Then, in the second quarter, Jack Gibbens forced a fumble on Jaylen Wright, and it was recovered by Elijah Ponder, who took it to the Dolphins' 37. That was Gibbens' first forced fumble of his career, along with Ponder's first recovery. That was followed by an interception by Jaylinn Hawkins, putting him at a career high of four this season.

4. Milton Williams and Will Campbell start

Star defensive tackle Milton Williams and left tackle Will Campbell were both activated off injured reserve ahead of Sunday's game, and they immediately stepped in. The two both started at their respective positions.

5. Some Drake Maye magic

A missed facemask penalty was no problem for Drake Maye. The Patriots' quarterback evaded the tackle, all while his facemask was being grabbed, but managed to shake it all off and convert on 3rd-and-6, setting the Patriots up with a new set of downs.

6. Drake Maye's final 2025 regular season stats

Maye was benched early in the fourth quarter, with Joshua Dobbs coming in to finish things off. And with that, the second-year quarterback concluded his MVP case with an impressive stat line for the regular season.

340/474
71.7 Completion Percentage
4,203 Passing Yards
30 Passing Touchdowns
8 Interceptions
98 Carries
409 rushing yards
4 Rushing touchdowns

7. Josh McDaniels having some fun with the play calls

In the first half, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was having some fun, putting together a few impressive plays. So let's take a look at two of them.

In the first quarter, Maye executed a flea flicker, handing the ball off to Henderson, who then pitched it back to him. Meanwhile, Efton Chism had been heading downfield and was wide open for a 35-yard gain. Then, with 55 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Maye lined up at receiver, with Stevenson taking the direct snap and running it in for the two-yard touchdown.

8. Defense was not looking playoff ready at the start of the game

The opening two drives are ones that the Patriots are going to want to watch and figure out what went wrong with the playoffs up next. In the first two drives by the Dolphins, New England gave up a 12-play and a 10-play drive to a Miami team that was missing numerous key offensive starters, including De'Von Achane, Jaylen Waddle, and Darren Waller.

9. Andy Borregales' blocked field goal attempt gives Dolphins life at end of first half

With 1:42 remaining in the second quarter, the Dolphins' defensive tackle Zach Sieler blocked Andy Borregales' 38-yard field goal attempt, and it was recovered by cornerback Jason Marshall Jr., who took it to the New England 40. Miami capitalized, getting a 52-yard field goal with 28 seconds left in the half.

10. ...But he redeemed himself at the end of the first half

But, New England was determined to get a few more added on before heading into the locker room, getting downfield and setting up Borregales, who hit a career-high, 59-yard field goal.

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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: 10 takeaways from Patriots' final regular season win over Dolphins

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