Mike Vrabel walked into Gillette Stadium last offseason inheriting a 4-13 disaster. Ten months later, his Patriots just finished 14-3 and claimed the AFC East crown.
The final statement came January 4 against Miami, a 38-10 demolition that completed New England’s first division sweep of the Dolphins since 2016. Rhamondre Stevenson ripped through Miami’s defense for 131 yards on seven carries. Drake Maye carved up a depleted secondary. The Patriots forced two turnovers and allowed just 180 total yards.
This wasn’t just another win. This was validation of the fastest rebuild in recent NFL history.
Table of Contents
Game Summary
Patriots 38, Dolphins 10
January 4, 2026 | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA | Attendance: 64,628
The Patriots entered as AFC East champions. They played like it. New England led 17-10 at halftime, then scored 21 unanswered points in the second half. Miami’s offense managed 13 first downs and went 1-for-3 in the red zone.
The final score could’ve been worse. Maye sat most of the fourth quarter with the game decided.
Stevenson’s Explosion
Seven carries. 131 yards. Three total touchdowns.
Stevenson averaged 18.7 yards per attempt, a stat line that belongs in video games. His 56-yard run on the second play of the game set up TreVeyon Henderson’s 5-yard touchdown. Later, he caught a 15-yard scoring pass from Maye, then broke a 35-yard touchdown run that made it 31-10.
“This is when the real football starts,” Stevenson said afterward.
Patriots Rushing Stats
| Player | Carries | Yards | Avg | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhamondre Stevenson | 7 | 131 | 18.7 | 2 | 56 |
| TreVeyon Henderson | 13 | 53 | 4.1 | 2 | 13 |
| Drake Maye | 5 | 41 | 8.2 | 0 | 14 |
| D’Ernest Johnson | 5 | 13 | 2.6 | 0 | 5 |
| Team Total | 34 | 243 | 7.1 | 4 | 56 |
Dolphins Rushing Stats
| Player | Carries | Yards | Avg | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaylen Wright | 13 | 23 | 1.8 | 0 | 7 |
| Malik Washington | 2 | 22 | 11.0 | 0 | 14 |
| Ollie Gordon II | 9 | 9 | 1.0 | 0 | 9 |
| Team Total | 25 | 63 | 2.5 | 0 | 14 |
New England’s ground game produced 243 yards. Miami managed 63.
Maye’s Precision
The second-year quarterback completed 14 of 18 passes for 191 yards, one touchdown, zero interceptions. His 129.4 passer rating reflected a clean, efficient performance against a secondary missing key pieces.
Maye wasn’t sacked once. He converted third downs. He put the ball where receivers could make plays.
“We’ve come a long way,” Maye said. “We’ve built this identity and played to it, and good things happen.”
Passing Statistics
| Team | QB | Comp/Att | Yards | TD | INT | Sacks | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots | Drake Maye | 14/18 | 191 | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 129.4 |
| Patriots | Joshua Dobbs | 3/4 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 88.5 |
| Dolphins | Quinn Ewers | 16/23 | 137 | 1 | 1 | 4-20 | 81.2 |
| Dolphins | Zach Wilson | 0/2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 39.6 |
Quinn Ewers threw 16 of 23 for 137 yards before leaving with a knee injury late in the fourth quarter. Zach Wilson replaced him and went 0-for-2. Miami’s quarterback situation remains unclear heading into the offseason.
Receiving Breakdown
Hunter Henry led New England with five catches for 56 yards. Stefon Diggs hauled in three receptions for 43 yards, including a 34-yarder in the third quarter that pushed him over 1,000 receiving yards for the season.
That milestone made Diggs the first Patriots receiver to crack 1,000 yards since Julian Edelman’s 1,117 in 2019. It marked the seventh time in his career Diggs reached that mark.
Patriots Receiving Leaders
| Player | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter Henry | 5 | 56 | 11.2 | 0 | 29 |
| Stefon Diggs | 3 | 43 | 14.3 | 0 | 34 |
| Efton Chism III | 1 | 35 | 35.0 | 0 | 35 |
| DeMario Douglas | 2 | 29 | 14.5 | 0 | 20 |
| Kayshon Boutte | 2 | 24 | 12.0 | 0 | 13 |
| Rhamondre Stevenson | 2 | 22 | 11.0 | 1 | 15 |
Dolphins Receiving Leaders
| Player | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theo Wease Jr. | 3 | 44 | 14.7 | 0 | 20 |
| Greg Dulcich | 3 | 31 | 10.3 | 0 | 20 |
| Tahj Washington | 2 | 26 | 13.0 | 0 | 19 |
| Jaylen Wright | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 0 | 13 |
| Malik Washington | 3 | 6 | 2.0 | 1 | 5 |
Defensive Stranglehold
New England’s defense recorded four sacks and forced two turnovers. Miami generated zero sacks and zero takeaways.
Jahlani Tavai and Christian Elliss each posted eight tackles. Christian Barmore collected a sack and a tackle for loss. Marcus Jones added a sack while batting down two passes at the line of scrimmage.
Jaylinn Hawkins intercepted Ewers in the third quarter, one of several mistakes Miami couldn’t overcome.
Defensive Leaders
| Team | Player | Pos | Tackles | Solo | Sacks | TFL | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots | Jahlani Tavai | LB | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Patriots | Christian Elliss | LB | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Patriots | Jack Gibbens | LB | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Patriots | Christian Barmore | DT | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Patriots | Marcus Jones | CB | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Dolphins | Jordyn Brooks | LB | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dolphins | Tyrel Dodson | LB | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dolphins | Dante Trader Jr. | S | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The Patriots held Miami to 180 total yards. They allowed one touchdown. They controlled possession for 30:49.
Statistical Domination
| Category | Dolphins | Patriots |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 180 | 457 |
| First Downs | 13 | 22 |
| Passing Yards | 117 | 214 |
| Rushing Yards | 63 | 243 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Third Down | 5-13 | 5-10 |
| Red Zone | 1-3 | 4-5 |
| Possession | 29:11 | 30:49 |
| Penalties | 7-52 | 4-52 |
New England doubled Miami’s yardage output. The Patriots converted four of five red zone trips into touchdowns. They protected the ball and won the turnover battle.
Miami averaged 3.3 yards per play. New England averaged 8.2.
Borregales Connects from Distance
Andy Borregales drilled a 59-yard field goal as time expired in the first half, putting the Patriots ahead 17-10. The kick represented the longest of his career and the third-longest in franchise history.
Only Joey Slye’s 63-yarder at San Francisco in September 2024 and Stephen Gostkowski’s 62-yarder in Mexico City in November 2017 traveled farther.
Record-Breaking Season
The 14-3 finish matched New England’s win total from 2016, when the Patriots captured their fifth Super Bowl title under Bill Belichick. This marked the franchise’s most victories in nine years.
Vrabel became the first coach since the AFL-NFL merger to win 10 straight games in his first season with a team that won five or fewer games the previous year. The Patriots’ 10-game improvement tied the NFL record set by the 1999 Colts and 2008 Dolphins.
The Professional Football Writers of America named Vrabel Coach of the Year, his second time winning the award after earning it in 2021 with Tennessee.
Maye finished his second NFL season with 4,394 passing yards, 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His 72% completion percentage led the league and set a Patriots franchise record. His 113.5 passer rating also topped the NFL.
He recorded 13 games with a passer rating above 100, breaking Tom Brady’s Patriots record of 12. He tied Patrick Mahomes for the most such games by a quarterback under 24.
At 22 years old, Maye became the youngest quarterback besides Dan Marino to win 14 or more regular-season games.
Playoff Picture
The Patriots claimed the AFC’s No. 2 seed and will host the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Chargers in the wild card round. New England faced the Chargers in Week 17 of the 2024 season and lost 40-7. That game marked one of the final contests before the organization hired Vrabel.
Denver’s 19-3 win over the Chargers prevented New England from securing the AFC’s top seed and first-round bye.
Miami finished 7-10, the franchise’s second consecutive losing season under Mike McDaniel after making the playoffs in his first two years. When asked about his job security, McDaniel declined to discuss conversations with owner Stephen Ross.
“No one is entitled to anything,” McDaniel said. “I take the job serious. I will aggressively attack the job tomorrow like every day I have the job.”
What It Means
Vrabel summarized his team’s formula after the game: “Get the right guys in the building at the right time. And good quarterback play. Figured out how to not beat ourselves and play to an identity. And guys make plays. That’s what happens.”
The Patriots went from worst to first in the AFC East in one season. They built an offensive line that didn’t allow a sack against Miami. They developed a rushing attack that averaged 7.1 yards per carry. They found their franchise quarterback.
One year ago, New England was picking in the top five of the draft. Now they’re preparing to host a playoff game with Super Bowl aspirations.
The player stats from the Patriots-Dolphins matchup tell that story in numbers. The wins and losses tell it even better.
