Dolphins stun the Patriots

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Miami Dolphins won’t be going to Super Bowl XXXIX, but they may have put a significant crimp in the plans of a team with a legitimate shot of getting there.

A 21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback A.J. Feeley to wide receiver Derrius Thompson with 1:23 remaining gave the Dolphins a 29-28 victory over New England on Monday night at Pro Player Stadium.

Feeley’s throw capped an improbable comeback from an 11-point deficit with 3:59 remaining against a team that had won an NFL-record 31 consecutive games when winning at halftime.

Facing a fourth-and-10, Feeley lobbed a pass toward the end zone that Thompson grabbed over Troy Brown, a Patriots wide receiver forced into cornerback duty earlier this season because of injuries to New England’s secondary.

“We wanted to get some matchups on Troy,” said Dolphins interim coach Jim Bates, who will be meeting with franchise officials today about the permanent head coaching position. “He had three interceptions coming in, but it’s tough to go over and play defensive back. It (the play) just happened that way. Derrius made a great catch. It ended up that Troy was on him.”

The Dolphins clinched the victory when Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was intercepted by free safety Arturo Freeman. Brady tied his career-high in interceptions with four (two by strong safety Sammy Knight) in an 18-of-29 outing.

While the Dolphins (3-11) gain only the distinction of not being tied for the NFL’s worst record with San Francisco (2-12) by winning, the loss has seriously damaged New England’s hopes of having home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Patriots (12-2) are now one game behind Pittsburgh (13-1) for the AFC’s best record with two remaining. The Steelers also hold the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage because of a victory over New England earlier this season.

The winning score was set up by the kind of mistake associated more with Feeley than a two-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player like Brady.

While getting sacked by defensive end Jason Taylor on third down, Brady tried flinging a desperation pass toward tight end Daniel Graham rather than suffer the loss. Strong-side linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, who was making his first NFL start, snared the throw at the Patriots’ 21.

“I thought he was going to get sacked,” Ayanbadejo said. “I was just chilling back there waiting. I saw (Graham) kind of wide and was just getting a good angle just in case (Brady) threw one up. All of a sudden, I saw the ball just wobbling up there and jumped on it.”

Said Taylor: “I know Tom would want that one back, but he can’t have it now.”

New England took a 28-17 lead with 3:59 remaining on a drive that featured runs of 16 and 20 yards by tailbacks Kevin Faulk and Corey Dillon respectively. That set up a 2-yard TD pass from Brady to Graham, who slipped the coverage of reserve linebacker Corey Jenkins.

Feeley quickly marched the Dolphins downfield on a series capped by Sammy Morris’ second 1-yard touchdown run of the game. Feeley threw too high for wide receiver Marty Booker on the two-point conversion, leaving the score at 28-23 with 2:07 left.

The Patriots extended their NFL-record streak of scoring first to 19 games by taking a 7-0 lead on the opening series. Faulk got behind the coverage of rookie middle linebacker Derrick Pope to catch a 31-yard touchdown pass. The score was set up by the running of Dillon, who rushed for 31 of his 121 yards on that possession.

The Dolphins countered shortly thereafter after a 71-yard punt return by Wes Welker, who was tripped up at the Patriots’ 1-yard line. Morris followed blocks by right guard Rex Hadnot and fullback Jamar Martin to dive into the end zone with 6:30 left in the first quarter.

That actually was one of the Dolphins’ most positive offensive plays early in the game, as they stood at negative-two in yards gained after their first four series. Favorable starting field position following such ineptitude helped set up New England’s second touchdown, a 3-yard run by Dillion to cap a 12-play, 50-yard drive that featured 10 runs.