Pats Pulpit
Pat Lane and Matt St. Jean break down New England’s overtime win in Miami and a hard fought home win over the Browns.
Twenty-one years ago, the New England Patriots completed the most dominant streak in the history of the NFL, finishing with 21 wins in a row across two seasons. Since it was such a dominant run, we have decided to take a look back at each one of the games.
This is the second in the series, so expect a ton more to come, and make sure to follow along on YouTube for the accompanying videos for each game as well.
Today, let’s take a look at Wins No. 3 and 4.
2003 Week 7 | Oct. 19, 2003, 1 p.m. ET | Pro Player Stadium
Setting the scene: On a hot Sunday in South Florida, the Patriots and Miami Dolphins would face off with first place in the AFC East on the line.
This was a loaded Dolphins defense featuring the likes of Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas, and Junior Seau, with Pro Bowlers like Patrick Surtain, Sammy Knight, Sam Madison, and Adewale Ogunleye in the mix as well. Super Bowl XXXVI champion Terrell Buckley also featured at nickel back for them. On offense, running back Ricky Williams was the guy.
Miami entered Week 7 having won four consecutive games following a Week 1 loss. The Dolphins allowed 10 or fewer points in all four wins behind head coach Dave Wannstedt, and they were favored to beat the Patriots by 6.5 points.
The Patriots took the field that Sunday having lost all 13 games in Miami in September or October in franchise history, and they were going to try to end that streak without players like Ty Law and Willie McGinest. They would also be trying to end the streak on a non-traditional playing surface; with the then Florida Marlins set to host the New York Yankees in the World Series the following Tuesday, the dirt infield occupied much of the left side of the field.
Game breakdown: The early stages of this one would be defined by mistakes. On their second possession, Dolphins quarterback Jay Fiedler was intercepted by Eugene Wilson after fellow rookie Asante Samuel deflected a pass. On their third possession, Tyrone Poole held up receiver Chris Chambers after a completion so Tedy Bruschi could come punch the ball out. Rodney Harrison recovered, and the Patriots would turn it into three points.
As the game moved into the second quarter, the bounces began to go Miami’s way. Tom Brady lost the ball on a 3rd-and-3 quick sneak, and Jay Fiedler turned that into a touchdown threading a needle between Poole and Chris Akins to find Chris Chambers. Two plays later, Kevin Faulk put the ball on the turf where it was recovered by Larry Chester. The Dolphins appeared to score on the next play, but wide receiver Derrius Thompson’s knee came down on the reception moving...
