The Patriots received three penalties on their first drive of the second quarter, the same number of offensive plays they made on poor possessions. New England fluctuated between bad mistakes and big plays in the first half, getting enough key contributions at the right moments to balance the bad with the good.

They got another big play after the Patriots’ defense was stopped, forcing Miami to line up former Patriot Jake Bailey for a punt that was secured in their own territory. Brenden Schooler ducked away from the edge under his blocker and got the ball in his hand to block. Isaiah Bolden tied it and set up the Patriots at the Miami 23-yard line.

Just as Gonzalez replicated last year’s interception against Miami, Schooler replicated his own punt block from last year’s matchup in Foxborough. This time he didn’t have to time it and jump off the edge screaming, but rather he used strong posture to make the play.

However, the penalties for the Pats continued to add up, and two more calls during the drive prevented any positive movement. DeMario Douglas’ 19-yard gain helped make up for some of the lost yards, but ultimately the Patriots couldn’t do enough to get into the end zone.

Joey Slye then missed the 33-yard field goal attempt as the Pats continued to alternate between good and bad plays.

Miami helped the Pats on their drive with a big mistake of their own. On a third down from field goal range, a wild snap rolled back to the New England 42-yard line, forcing Miami to punt rather than put more points on the board.

The Dolphins managed to move the ball in the first half, but New England plays and poor timing errors only allowed them to score three points in the first half.