Patriots vs. Dolphins live updates: Score, news, discussion for NFL Week 8

Despite coming out of a mini-bye, the New England Patriots are battered and bruised heading into their Week 8 contest with the Miami Dolphins. And yet, the team of head coach Mike Vrabel has a real chance to come away as winners: at 4-3, it has performed significantly better thus far this year than its 1-5 opponent.

While season-long records mean little come kickoff, the Patriots are still the more talented team overall even with several starters missing the game on the offensive side of the ball. Nonetheless, as long as Drake Maye remains under center, the team should be able to put pressure on its opponent and compete for a chance to retain a spotless record against the AFC East this year: New England won its first two division games, and is now looking to improve to 3-0.

Will the team be able to do so on the road? Let's find out together. Welcome to our Patriots-Dolphins live tracker and community discussion.

Sunday, Nov. 1, 4:25 p.m. ET | Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, FL) | Broadcast information | Game day roster | Inactives | Weather forecast

Despite winning the coin toss, the Dolphins decided to start the game on offense. The plan did not work out: New England forced a quick three-and-out, with Marcus Jones running the ensuing punt back 26 yards to give his offense possession at its own 49.

New England's offense started in good field position, and did manage to take advantage. Following three straight runs, Drake Maye hit Hunter Henry for a 20-yard gain to bring his team on the cusp of the red zone. However, once inside the Miami 20, the series stalled out. Andy Borregales ended it by splitting the uprights from 34 yards out. | Patriots 3 : 0 Dolphins

Miami started its next possession with a big return of its own, taking the kickoff after Borregales' field goal all the way out to the 47-yard line. However, Cory Durden's second sack in two drives plus Christian Barmore blowing up a third down on another quarterback takedown forced a second straight quick punt.

The Patriots' next drive was a rough one. First, a Tanner Arkin holding penalty backed the team up. Then, two plays later, Efton Chism lost a fumble while trying to gain extra yards after a short reception. The turnover set up the Dolphins with a first down at the New England 19-yard line.

Luckily for their offense, the Patriots defense continued to play excellent football on the next series to force a quick stop. Cory Durden, who was involved in sacks on each of the first two drives, disrupted another play on second down to eventually help hold Miami to a 31-yard field goal. | Patriots 3 : 3 Dolphins

Corey Kiner, who entered the game as RB2 with TreVeyon Henderson out, kickstarted New England's next drive with a 20-yard carry. The big play did move the team into Dolphins territory, but it once again failed to capitalize: the series ended when ex-Patriot Joshua Uche beat left guard Walter Rouse on a stunt to take down Maye for a 10-year loss on 3rd-and-8.

After three straight three-and-outs, running back Ollie Gordon picked up Miami's first first down of the afternoon. He ended the first quarter with another solid run, and Miami at its own 29-yard line.

The Dolphins continued moving the ball well coming out of the quarter break, including on a 23-yard pass to Malik Washington against a zone coverage structure. However, the defense shored up on its side of the field. Cory Durden was involved in another tackle for loss, with Elijah Ponder and Jaylen Reed teaming up on a sack. Their efforts did not prevent Miami from taking its first lead of the day, though, when Zane Gonzalez made a 52-yard field goal. | Patriots 3 : 6 Dolphins

The Patriots' next drive showed some promise early on. The team still had to convert a 4th-and-2 to keep the series alive, but Drake Maye shrugging off a sack attempt and finding Efton Chism downfield helped solve that problem. However, he couldn't get enough on a third-down scramble following a bad snap to move the chains. To make matters worse, Andy Borregales sent his subsequent 40-yard field goal attempt wide to the right to keep the score at 6-3 in Miami's favor.

The Patriots had an opportunity to get the ball back quickly inside the two-minute warning of the first half, but they allowed Miami to convert a 3rd-and-8 while Marcus Jones failed to reel in an interception on the very next play. An unnecessary roughness penalty against Christian Elliss then put the Dolphins squarely into field goal range, with an 18-yard pass giving them 1st-and-goal at the New England 7. Two plays later, the home team was in the end zone for the game's first touchdown. | Patriots 3 : 13 Dolphins

The Patriots modified their offensive line coming out of the half, replacing left guard Walter Rouse with Ben Brown. However, the change up front did not lead to a change of fortunes: New England went three-and-out to open the third quarter, with Drake Maye getting sacked on 3rd-and-6 to end the series.

New England nearly got a big play on its next drive. However, despite betting his hands on the football, Craig Woodson was unable to complete an interception that would have given the Patriots the ball in Miami territory. The pass breakup still forced the offense off the field on a three-and-out, but it felt like a missed opportunity nonetheless.

Rhamondre Stevenson did the heavy lifting early on during the Patriots' next possession, but it was Drake Maye and Kyle Williams who capped it off in style. Yes, it did take a Mike Vrabel challenge flag to overturn a bad incompletion call on the field, but the end result was a touchdown nonetheless: Maye and the second-year wideout connected from 43-yard out to bring New England within three points. | Patriots 10 : 13 Dolphins

Miami started yet another drive with a long kickoff return, setting up shop at its own 35-yard line on its next possession. However, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against running back Ollie Gordon forced the team into a 3rd-and-20 situation it was unable to convert. Three-and-out.

The Patriots followed the recipe that worked on the previous drive on their next possession. Rhamondre Stevenson did some hard running to open the drive, with Drake Maye then hitting DeMario Douglas on a 26-yard gain to get New England into field goal range. Once there, the team bypassed a 41-yard field goal attempt to go for it on 4th-and-2. Initially ruled short of the sticks, a review determined that Douglas had indeed crossed the line to keep the drive alive. Six plays later, Maye found the end zone: he faked the pitch on 3rd-and-goal from the 2-yard line to create an opening, capping off a 73-yard scoring drive in style. | Patriots 17 : 13 Dolphins

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