The Miami Dolphins turned to Joey
Harrington with Daunte Culpepper sidelined. The New England Patriots
capitalized on the backup quarterback's rustiness.
Asante Samuel intercepted two passes by Harrington that led to
two touchdowns, and New England overcame a mediocre performance by
Tom Brady and beat Miami 20-10 on Sunday.
The Patriots (4-1) matched their season total with three
takeaways and dealt another blow to the Dolphins (1-4), whose
acquisition of Culpepper in the off-season was hailed as a major
upgrade but were undone my numerous mistakes.
Culpepper missed the game with a bruised shoulder, a cumulative
result of the 21 sacks he endured in the first four games.
Harrington, Detroit's starter in his other four NFL seasons, took
his first snaps this season and was sacked just once. He completed
26 of 41 passes for 232 yards, but the two interceptions were too
much to overcome.
The Dolphins cut a 13-point deficit to 13-10, but Samuel's second
interception dampened the comeback hopes.
On a third-and-5 at the Patriots 17, Harrington's hard pass down
the middle went off Wes Welker's hands and into the hands of Samuel,
who returned the ball two yards to the 24.
After an incompletion and a two-yard run by Laurence Maroney,
Brady underthrew the ball to Doug Gabriel on the right side of the
end zone. But Will Allen was called for defensive pass interference,
putting the ball at the 1. Brady threw a one-yard touchdown pass to
Heath Evans on the next play with 9:47 to go.
Brady completed 16 of 29 passes for 140 yards as the Patriots
were outgained 283 yards to 213.
The first turnover, a recovery by Tedy Bruschi of Ronnie Brown's
fumble on Miami's third play from scrimmage, led to Stephen
Gostkowski's 35-yard field goal.
Miami's Olindo Mare had his 40-yard field-goal attempt blocked by
Mike Wright before Gostkowski made it 6-0 with a 31-yard field goal
on New England's second possession.
The Dolphins' third series didn't go any better. Harrington's
pass on the fourth play was intercepted by Samuel, who returned it
26 yards to the Miami 10. Two plays later, Brady threw a 10-yard
scoring pass down the middle to Troy Brown for a 13-0 lead midway
through the second quarter.
Then Harrington outplayed Brady for the rest of the second and
all of the third quarter, helping cut the lead to 13-10 on Brown's
two-yard run and Mare's 40-yard field goal.
But Mare missed a 50-yarder with six minutes left.
Another play in the kicking game cost the Dolphins field
position, if not points. With a fourth-and-5 at the Miami 36, punter
Donnie Jones dropped the snap and fell on it before being tackled by
Wright, giving the Patriots the ball at their 46. But New England
punted the ball back.
