FOXBOROUGH – Poetic justice was served in the AFC. The top two teams in the conference got the first-round byes in the end and deserved it.
This was the worst time for the phrase “on any given Sunday” to punch the Patriots in the mouth. A 16-point favorite to beat the Miami Dolphins at home in December, the home team suffered an unthinkable 27-24 loss on Sunday at Gillette Stadium that may go down in history as the most shameful loss in the Bill Belichick/Tom Brady era. The defense failed the Patriots today, allowing a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to the Dolphins after Tom Brady hit James White with a 13-yard screen pass to give the Patriots their first lead at 24-20.