The Miami Dolphins fell 24-19 to the New England Patriots at home in Week 8. The Dolphins are now 1-6 on the season and 1-1 in the AFC East. These two teams will face off one more time this season in the Week 18 regular season finale.

It was another up-and-down day for a Miami offense that showed signs of improvement, but there is still a lot of work to be done. The offense struggled to run the ball consistently, which is what they rely on to set the tone in the game.

Miami's defense started the game strong, holding the Patriots offense to three points in the first half. But the defense was unable to keep New England down in the second half as the Patriots scored 21 unanswered points in the second half and completed the comeback, improving to 5-3 on the season.

Here are five takeaways from the Dolphins' first game against New England in 2026.

Drake Maye led a depleted Patriots offense to a second-half comeback win

After the Dolphins established a 13-3 lead at the half, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye took over the game and led a second-half comeback with three touchdowns, two passing and one rushing.

Miami's defense got the best of Maye in the first half, sacking him three times and holding him to just 53 yards passing. However, Maye came out of the locker room on fire, completing his first eight passes of the half and scoring three touchdowns. He showed today exactly why he was considered for MVP a season ago.

Maye's performance is even more impressive considering the Patriots offense was depleted with injuries, particularly to the wide receiver group. New England was without three of their top wideouts: A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs and Mack Hollins. Tight end Hunter Henry was also knocked out of the game with a foot injury suffered in the first half.

Dolphins struggled to establish the running game on offense

The Dolphins offense struggled to establish the running game throughout this contest. Ollie Gordon II finished the game with 69 yards on 19 attempts (3.6 yards per carry).

The Dolphins have relied heavily on the running game in recent weeks to move the ball effectively. Ever since De'Von Achane went down with a season-ending knee injury, Gordon has stepped into the starting role and made the most of it. Gordon came into this game having scored touchdowns in the Dolphins' previous four games. He was coming off a career game in the Week 7 win over the Jets, but today the Patriots limited his impact, and he was unable to set the tone as he has in previous games.

Considering the rainy conditions during the game, the inability to run the football and extend drives made it more difficult for the Dolphins to maintain the 10-point lead they earned in the first half.

Malik Willis did a good job spreading the ball around to a variety of receiving targets

Malik Willis utilized the majority of Miami's receiver group in this game. He connected with six different receiving targets in the passing game, five of them totaling at least three receptions.

Rookie Kevin Coleman Jr. led the Dolphins with 46 receiving yards on three receptions, including a 35-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Malik Washington led the offense in receptions with five, for a total of 40 yards and a touchdown.

Rookies Caleb Douglas and Chris Bell were also utilized consistently. Douglas had four catches for 43 yards, and Bell had four receptions for 31 yards. Tight end Greg Dulcich added 43 yards on four receptions as well.

There still isn't a real number one receiving target on this offense. While it's good to have the ability to spread the ball around, it would be nice if one of these young players could become a consistent go-to wideout for Willis.

Dolphins' offense went three-and-out too many times

The inconsistency of the Dolphins offense is becoming a recurring issue as this season progresses. The offense showed signs of progress against the Patriots, but they went cold too many times. The Dolphins failed to pick up a first down on five of their ten possessions in this game.

Miami's first three drives of the game were three-and-outs; fortunately, one of them resulted in a Zane Gonzalez field goal thanks to a Patriots' turnover. The Dolphins also went three-and-out on their first two drives of the second, which helped allow the Patriots to come back and eventually win the game.

Failing to pick up a first down on half of your offensive possessions will rarely result in victory.

Defense showed strength in the first half

The Miami defense started this game strong and provided the momentum-shifting plays that helped Miami to go into the half up 13-3.

After the Patriots scored a field goal on their opening offensive drive, the Dolphins shut them down for the remainder of the half. After the opening drive field goal, the Patriots fumbled the ball away, punted, missed a field goal, and Drake Maye was sacked by Chop Robinson to end the half.

Rookie Jacob Rodriguez continues to look like a future All-Pro in this league. After Miami went three-and-out on its first two drives, Rodriguez created a timely turnover by punching the ball away from Patriots wideout Efton Chism III, and the ball was recovered by cornerback Juju Brents. This turnover set up a field goal for the Dolphins and tied the game 3-3.

If the defense can play like this for a full game instead of just one half, the Dolphins will definitely win more games this season.