The Miami Dolphins went into halftime on a rainy Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium with a 13-3 lead over the New England Patriots. They walked off with a 24-19 loss after the Patriots scored the next 21 points, and the defeat dropped Miami to 1-6.

Dolphins fans came away encouraged anyway. They argued that the Dolphins had more to gain more from competing hard and losing than from piling up wins — and with a better draft slot as the reward.

That case comes one week after Miami ended an 0-5 start with a 28-25 win at the New York Jets. It also runs straight into a question Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley has already answered.

Making the Case for Draft Position Over Wins

Miami built its 13-3 halftime lead with a takeaway and a long drive. JuJu Brents recovered a first-quarter fumble, and Malik Willis capped an 11-play, 70-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Malik Washington with eight seconds left in the half. Then the game flipped.

The Dolphins went three-and-out on their first two possessions of the second half. After an opening punt, the Patriots scored touchdowns on three straight possessions. Drake Maye hit Kyle Williams for a 43-yard touchdown, then ran for a 2-yard touchdown with 59 seconds left in the third quarter.

Kevin Byard intercepted Willis early in the fourth, and two plays later Maye found DeMario Douglas for a 48-yard score and a 24-13 lead. Maye accounted for all three Patriots touchdowns. Willis’ 35-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Coleman Jr. with 2:04 left made it 24-19, but the two-point try failed.

Cannata saw the competitive loss as the outcome Miami should want. “Dolphins playing tough. Process is working. Better to play a game like this and keep stress-testing it while getting that better draft position,” he wrote.

Cannata closed by addressing the other side of the fan base: “I know some Dolphins fans want wins, but there’s almost no carryover from year-to-year. Get the high pick.”

Hafley has fielded that argument before. At his Oct. 26 news conference, the day after the Jets win, the idea of losing for draft position came up, and he said: “I have a hard time grasping that. I’m hoping they’re happy we won the game.”

That win came with a roster carrying 15 rookies, and it was the first time all season the Dolphins had held a lead. Speaking separately about what the win did for his players, he said, “For some guys, it gives them more belief, that you can trust the process.”

Fans Embrace Competitive Losses While One Flags the Kicking Game

Cannata had company. Replying to him directly, one fan wrote, “I’m not sure we want wins.”

Another fan saw the loss the same way: “Competitive but still a loss, exactly what we want. Some great signs and playing hard.”

Another fan gave the approach a name: “Ethical tanking, keep it up fellas.”

Another skipped ahead to the payoff Cannata pointed to: “1st overall pick is ours.” Miami is 1-6 with 10 games left.

One fan paired the optimism with a specific complaint: “Constant improvement each game. Tough loss. Serious kicker problem that needs to be solved.”

Kicker Zane Gonzalez went 2 of 3 on field goals Sunday, including a 52-yarder in the second quarter. Down 24-13, Miami moved 45 yards in 11 plays early in the fourth quarter and burned nearly six minutes, then came away empty when his kick missed with 6:41 to play. A make would have cut the deficit to 24-16.

For two straight weeks, Miami has carried a double-digit lead into halftime. At MetLife Stadium, the lead held up for the first win of Hafley’s tenure. At Hard Rock Stadium, it gave way to 21 straight Patriots points and a sixth loss.