4. How did the lowly Dolphins manage to embarrass the Patriots defense? Did they have success with the spread?

What he said: “That’s what they’ve been doing. It’s what we expected them to do. They do a good job of it, obviously.”

What we think he’s thinking: The Dolphins just fired their offensive coordinator Chad O’Shea. He’s a product of the Patriots’ coaching tree, and is well-respected in New England. Still, his firing shows that the Patriots’ struggles were just as much about themselves as they were about Miami. The Patriots played a bad game with a poorly planned and executed game plan. It wasn’t this team’s shinning moment, and it shouldn’t preclude the Patriots from playing well against the Tennessee Titans. Against the Bills in Week 16, the Patriots played their best game of the season. They’ll try to get back to that level of preparation and execution. As boring of an answer as that is, it’s the truth.