Patriots unleash Bad Dogs, maul Dolphins 27-17

One of the hallmarks of the 2013 New England Patriots is their ability to stay in games in which they are being dominated.

And more often than not, they find a way to win.

But when Tom Brady took a knee to end perhaps one of the most brutally ugly halves of football in the Bill Belichick era, the faithful at Gillette Stadium let the Patriots have an earful - and, why not?  Brady had 25 yards passing with an interception, and the Patriots offense as a whole was able to post just 59 total yards...

...at the same time, the Miami Dolphins were running the ball right into the teeth of the Patriots defense to the tune of 108 yards on 22 carries, Quarterback Ryan Tannehill having his way in the passing game, the visiting Dolphins taking big smiles and a 17-3 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Then coach Bill Belichick let his bad dogs out of the doghouse.

Running back Stevan Ridley and Cornerback Logan Ryan served first half benchings for their hotdogging adventures in last week's loss to the New York Jets, but when let off the chain in the second half, their presence on the field made all the difference as the Patriots dominated the Dolphins, outscoring them 24-0 in the final 30 minutes for a resounding 27-17 come from behind victory at Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Ridley ran for 79 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries to spur the dormant offensive attack, and Ryan's two sacks led a second half defensive assault on a Dolphin's team that looked like they didn't know what hit them, yielding a total of six sacks and two interceptions in what can only be described as one of the Patriots' best halves of football this season.

Tannehill enjoyed excellent protection from his normally shaky offensive line throughout the first half, the domination of his running game forcing New England to keep seven in the box and opening up large chunks of space in the intermediate zone and manhandling the tentative Patriots' pass rush - throwing for two scores while keeping New England's defense on the field for nearly 20 minutes...

...and it looked initially that it was going to be more of the same coming out for the second half, Miami marching down the field for what looked like the nail in the coffin for the Patriots, but a timely sack by Dont'a Hightower on a crossover stunt with Rob Ninkovich stalled the drive at the Patriots' 28 yard line - a 46 yard field goal attempt by Caleb Sturgis hitting the upright and bounding off to the right, no good.

Taking over at their own 38, Brady immediately got Ridley involved in the running game, his 23 yard burst moving the ball into Miami territory - four plays later Brady finding wide receiver Aaron Dobson for a 17 yard touchdown pass in the back left corner of the end zone to get the Patriots back within one score...

...and that's when Ryan made his presence known.

On the ensuing drive for Miami, the rookie from Rutgers came untouched on a corner blitz off the edge, blindsiding Tannehill at his own 13 and stripping the ball out of his hand, and when Rob Ninkovich fell on the ball, the Patriots were back in business on a short field - Brandon Bolden flashing around the corner three plays later and suddenly the game was tied at 17.

The rest of the third quarter and all of the fourth dominated by the Patriots - a defensive effort that saw Tannehill running for his life when he wasn't flat on his back, and a suddenly efficient offense spurred by the tough running of Ridley and designated clock killer LeGarrette Blount, scoring twice more and never seriously challenged by the demoralized Dolphins.

In the end, the Patriots running game nearly equaled the output of the Dolphins' ground game, Ridley leading the way with all of his 79 yards in the second half, while Ryan's clutch performance spurred a tidal wave of negative plays for the Miami offense that they were powerless to stop.

No hotdogging on this day, just a tough, scrappy win that, coupled with losses by the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets, enabled the Patriots to build a two game cushion in the AFC East with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming into Foxborough next week...

...and maybe a clean slate for the bad dogs this Sunday will translate to a full game effort against a struggling rival next Sunday, and hopefully they won't hear those "boo's" heading into the locker room next week - but if they do, they already know how to silence them.