A week after their controversial last-second loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the New England Patriots took on the Miami Dolphins at home. Both teams came into the matchup with the ability to control their own playoff destinies over the last few weeks of the regular season, making the game an important one.
Controversial officiating marred the game early on, as the question of “forward progress” that questionably ended last week’s game in Cincinnati’s favor again came about after an early-game fumble by Miami running back Raheem Mostert was negated because the official blew the play dead before the ball came loose.
A bit later in the first quarter, a catch by Miami wide receiver Tyreek Hill was called out of bounds, but an eerily similar one by New England wideout Tyquan Thornton was called inbounds and was even upheld upon review.
Ultimately, the referees did not have a substantial effect on the game in the long run, as the Patriots, benefitting from the play of Miami’s backup and third-string quarterbacks, were able to do just enough to give themselves the 23-21 victory.
Here are three big takeaways from the game.