Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium was a chance for Tom Brady and the New England Patriots to clinch the AFC East for the 10th consecutive season. But in seven seconds, those hats and T-shirts were put back into storage.
Quarterback Tom Brady threw for 358 yards and three touchdowns in the New England Patriots’ 34-33 walk-off loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tom Brady has made the annual visit to Hard Rock Stadium since it was called Pro Player Stadium.
The 41-year-old New England Patriots quarterback has gotten starts there when it was Dolphins Stadium, Dolphin Stadium, Land Shark Stadium and Sun Life Stadium, too.
But while the name has changed, a long, strange trip to South Florida it has remained.
Just never to the extent that was seen Sunday as the Miami Dolphins, down 33-28 with seven seconds remaining and no timeouts, turned a hook into a couple of laterals.
“They got it to their fast guys,” Brady said in his postgame press conference . “Football is a crazy game. It shouldn’t have come down to that.”
It did.
From Ryan Tannehill to Kenny Stills, then to DeVante Parker and lastly Kenyan Drake for 69 yards and a walk-off touchdown.
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski chased and stumbled as the last line of Hail Mary defense.
“I mean, I just saw the ball going lateral, hook-and-ladder and stuff,” Gronkowski, who had taken the place of safety Devin McCourty in the secondary, reflected afterwards . “I didn’t think it was going to get to me, and then just saw the guy trucking down the field. I mean, it would have been – you saw what happened from there.”
One pass, two laterals and 69 yards later, Miami running back Kenyan Drake crossed into the end zone as time ran out on the Patriots.
