Head coach Bill Belichick made some questionable decisions during Sunday's one-point loss to the Miami Dolphins. The Patriots had a fourth-and-inches at their own 44-yard line with a 14-7 lead and 8:46 to play in the second quarter, but Belichick chose to send out the punting unit.
Then, with the Patriots on the Miami 6-yard line and 2:00 remaining in the second quarter, Belichick opted against kicking a field goal that would have extended the lead to 17-7. The Patriots ran Sammy Morris on a fullback dive, but he was stuffed on fourth-and-one.
The Patriots have converted 8 of 16 fourth downs this season, and their 50 percent success rate is tied for 14th in the NFL. Their eight conversions and 16 attempts are each tied for the sixth-most in the league, and their eight failed attempts are tied for the seventh-most. (The six teams with more failed attempts all have losing records, which means they're going for it on fourth down out of necessity late in games.)
The NFL's 32 teams are a combined 201-of-405 on fourth down this season (49.6 percent). That's an average of 12.7 fourth-down attempts per team with 6.3 conversions.
Even though Belichick has been inconsistent with his fourth-down choices — which, in theory, could have cost the Patriots two victories this season — his players say they love it when he shows extra faith in the offense.
"It makes me feel good, especially when it's a run," Patriots running back Laurence Maroney said. "It lets me know he has confidence in this offense, has confidence in this run game, and essentially has confidence in me to believe I can pick this up on fourth-and-short. When we go for it on fourth down, I have the mindset that, no doubt in my mind, no matter what it takes to get this yard or inches, I'm going to get this yard. It definitely makes me feel good when we do go. It's like a momentum shift."
Who's Hot
1. From the department of redundancy department, wide receiver Wes Welker caught 10 passes for 167 yards Sunday against the Dolphins. Welker continued to impress after the game, too, saying that every single one of the Patriots needs to look in the mirror and evaluate his individual effort. Even though Welker included himself in that sentiment, let's be serious, no one can question his passion on game days.
2. Wide receiver Sam Aiken provided the only second-half highlight for the Patriots offense, making a spectacular catch over cornerback Sean Smith, breaking a tackle and racing down the right sideline for an 81-yard touchdown. It also beefed up quarterback Tom Brady's second-half statistics. Without that play, Brady was 5-of-14 for 75 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions after halftime.
Who's Not
1. Wide receiver Randy Moss didn't have a reception after the Patriots' second possession of the game, and he was only targeted three times during that stretch. It's not like he was lining up against a shut-down cornerback, as Moss torched Vontae Davis and the Dolphins defense for six receptions, 147 yards and one touchdown in their first meeting. It's extremely rare for Brady not to excessively target Moss, so you've got to wonder why Moss suddenly couldn't figure out a way to get open. Also, while Brady's first interception Sunday was the result of a poor throw, there's a legitimate gripe with Moss' lack of effort to break up the pass, and that turned out to be the key play of the afternoon. After the game, Brady questioned the team's willingness to fight. Is there a connection?
2. Brady's numbers in the second half of the Patriots' five losses this season are not pretty. He's completed 46 of 87 passes (52.9 percent) for 536 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. His first interception against the Dolphins might have been his worst throw of the season.
3. Cornerback Jonathan Wilhite has really been fighting it since the Colts game. He's usually in good position, but he just hasn't been able to make a play. When you're slumping, quarterbacks will find you, and receivers tend to make some nice catches.
4. The Patriots offense deserves the brunt of the blame for Sunday's loss, but the defense was not without flaw. New England had a milk-carton pass rush — it's disappeared, and we can't find it — generating just two quarterback hits and one sack. And the Dolphins dropped back to pass 53 times. First-year starter Chad Henne completed 29 of 52 passes for 335 yards — all career-highs — and tied a career best with two touchdowns. During his most important pass of the game, a fourth-and-6 at the Patriots' 41-yard line, Henne casually rolled out of the pocket and confidently delivered a 13-yard strike to Greg Camarillo along the right sideline. There's no way Henne should have been that comfortable during such a pressure-packed play, but the Patriots allowed him to be.
