Best and worst defensive PFF grades for Patriots in win over Dolphins

It wasn't pretty early for the New England Patriots' defense in Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins.

Mike McDaniels' offense showed some fight, despite missing De'Von Achane, Jaylen Waddle and Darren Waller. Rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers was accurate and decisive with his throws against a Patriots defense that seemed to be reeling in the first half.

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Granted, they came up with drive-stopping plays in critical situations, but the Dolphins' offense was moving the ball far too easily against a Patriots team that came into the game as double-digit favorites.

Then the second half happened, and things started to click for the defense.

The defensive front started to generate pressure on Ewers, and that's when the young quarterback started to make mistakes. One of those mistakes was a bad interception thrown in the red zone to Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins.

By the end of the second half, the Patriots had scored 21 unanswered points on offense, leading to a 38-10 victory over the Dolphins. Here are the best and worst graded offensive players for the Patriots in Week 18, according to Pro Football Focus.

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Top five PFF graded players

1. LB Jahlani Tavai - 90.4

2. LB Jack Gibbens - 86.7

3. LB Christian Elliss - 81.8

4. CB Christian Gonzalez - 81.6

5. S Jaylinn Hawkins - 76.7

Bottom five PFF graded players

1. S Craig Woodson - 45.6

2. S Brenden Schooler - 48.4

3. DT Leonard Taylor III - 49.7

4. CB Charles Woods - 52.5

5. DT Christian Barmore - 52.7

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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Best and worst defensive PFF grades for Patriots in win over Dolphins