New England
Patriots
5-2
20
FINAL
17
Miami
Dolphins
0-6
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a tightly contested matchup, the New England Patriots narrowly defeated the Miami Dolphins 20-17 in Week 8 of the 2026 season. Both teams entered the game looking to strengthen their playoff positioning, but it was the Patriots who emerged victorious in a thrilling finish.
Quarterback Drake Maye led the charge for New England, throwing for 230 yards and two touchdowns, showcasing his ability to perform under pressure. A.J. Brown was his top target, racking up 75 receiving yards, while De'Von Achane of the Dolphins found some success on the ground with 69 rushing yards, though it wasn't enough to sway the outcome.
Defensively, the Patriots made crucial plays that swung momentum in their favor. Robert Spillane stood out with 10 total tackles, consistently making stops when needed. A pivotal moment came when Carlton Davis III intercepted a pass, halting a potential Dolphins scoring drive and securing the win for New England.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drake Maye | QB | 30 | 20 | 67% | 230 | 2 | 0 | 111.8 |
| Malik Willis | QB | 33 | 20 | 61% | 179 | 1 | 2 | 60.0 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| De'Von Achane | HB | 16 | 69 | 4.3 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| Rhamondre Stevenson | HB | 4 | 54 | 13.5 | 41 | 0 | 44 | 0 |
| TreVeyon Henderson | HB | 15 | 51 | 3.4 | 21 | 0 | 21 | 1 |
| Drake Maye | QB | 8 | 34 | 4.3 | — | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| Malik Willis | QB | 7 | 22 | 3.1 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Ollie Gordon II | HB | 7 | 14 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Cedric Tillman | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Romeo Doubs | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hunter Henry | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.J. Brown | WR | 5 | 75 | 15.0 | 13 | 1 | 23 | 0 |
| Romeo Doubs | WR | 8 | 69 | 8.6 | 13 | 1 | 17 | 0 |
| Hunter Henry | TE | 4 | 66 | 16.5 | 15 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| Marvin Mims Jr | WR | 3 | 64 | 21.3 | 8 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| Cedric Tillman | WR | 6 | 51 | 8.5 | 31 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Will Dissly | TE | 7 | 49 | 7.0 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| DeMario Douglas | WR | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Justin Joly | TE | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | — | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| TreVeyon Henderson | HB | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| De'Von Achane | HB | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Ollie Gordon II | HB | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | — | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Spillane | MIKE | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carlton Davis III | CB | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ronnie Harrison Jr | WILL | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zach Sieler | DT | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Javon Bullard | SS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Christian Gonzalez | CB | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Dre'Mont Jones | LEDG | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordyn Brooks | WILL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Geno Stone | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Milton Williams | DT | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Darrell Baker Jr | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| JuJu Brents | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joshua Uche | REDG | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yetur Gross-Matos | LEDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Christian Elliss | WILL | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DaQuan Jones | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marcus Jones | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Darius Muasau | MIKE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Craig Woodson | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan Phillips | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonas Griffith | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kevin Byard III | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Harold Landry III | REDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kenneth Grant | DT | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Johnson | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jason Marshall Jr | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cairo Santos | K | 1 | 1 | 2 | 37 |
| Bryce Baringer | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Andres Borregales | K | 2 | 2 | 2 | 45 |