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A20 SPORTS
Monday 10 deceMber 2018

Drake Escape: Miami’s score on final play beats Pats 34-33

By STEVEN WINE scored on a pass and dou- in Miami for the fifth time in
AP Sports Writer ble lateral on the final play their past six visits. The Dol-
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) Sunday to beat the New phins (7-6) came from be-
— The celebratory mob England Patriots 34-33. With hind five times to help their
scene in the corner of the that, Miami lived up to its slim wild-card chances.
end zone broke out far nickname — the Magic The Patriots’ Stephen Gos-
from Ryan Tannehill, leav- City. tkowski missed an extra
ing him in the open field, “They just made one more point for the first time in 38
running and screaming as play than we did,” Patriots tries this season early in the
he waved his arms. Since coach Bill Belichick said. game, and also missed a
he couldn’t find anyone And what a play. The Pa- 42-yard field goal try. But
to hug, he flopped to the triots were on the verge of his 32-yarder to cap a 55-
grass on his back, the job clinching their 10th consec- yard drive put the Patriots
done and the game won. utive AFC East title when ahead 30-28 with 6:45 left.
“I collapsed — just the emo- the Dolphins lined up at Belichick opted to have
tion of the whole thing,” their 31 after a kickoff re- Gostkowski kick a 22-yard-
Tannehill said. turn trailing 33-28. er in the closing seconds
Sixteen seconds from de- “We had them right where Miami Dolphins running back Kenyan Drake (32) runs for a rather than pin the Dol-
feat, Tannehill threw a short we wanted,” Tannehill said touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game phins near their goal line.
pass and then watched dryly. “Not really surprised against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018, in Miami Instead, Miami returned
his teammates save the with how things turned Gardens, Fla. The Dolphins defeated the Patriots 34-33. the ensuing kickoff to the
season with the “Drake Es- out.” Associated Press 31 — and on the next play
cape.” He threw a 14-yard pass to quickly lateraled to Drake found a seam, helped by a pulled off a miracle.
Kenyan Drake ran the last Kenny Stills, who lateraled along the sideline. He cut block from guard Ted Lars- Brady broke the NFL re-
52 yards as the Dolphins to DeVante Parker, who toward the middle and en at the 30. cord for career touchdown
Drake beat two Patriots passes including postsea-
to the corner of the end son and now has 582, three
zone — defensive back more than Peyton Man-
J.C. Jackson and tight end ning. His scores covered 2
Rob Gronkowski, who was yards to Julian Edelman,
on the field as part of New 37 to Cordarrelle Patterson
England’s prevent defense. and 16 to Gronkowski .
“Drake runs a 4.3, and Tannehill missed two plays
Gronk probably runs a 4.6 at the end of the first half
or 4.7, so you feel good after a teammate stepped
about that matchup,” Tan- on his right foot . He re-
nehill said. Then came one turned to start the second
last pass to punctuate the half, and his 23-yard touch-
play — Drake reared back down pass to Brice Butler
for a celebratory heave put the Dolphins ahead 28-
into the stands as the Dol- 27 late in the third quarter.
phins’ bench emptied and But they managed only
teammates swarmed him. three first downs and no
“Football,” said Patriots points thereafter — until
quarterback Tom Brady, “is the final play.
a crazy game.” FRANTIC SEQUENCE
The Dolphins call the play The teams swapped touch-
“Boise” because it was bor- downs and the lead for five
rowed from the Boise State consecutive possessions in
playbook, and they had the second quarter over an
been working on it all year. entertaining span covering
“You rep it in practice over less than 11 minutes.
and over,” receiver Kenny Miami’s fourth-string run-
Stills said. “Sometimes it’s ning back Brandon Bolden,
like, ‘Why are we doing who spent six years with the
this?’ And now we know Patriots, scored untouched
why.” on a career-long 54-yard
It brought to mind other NFL run up the middle, and
last-second stunners, in- added a 6-yard scoring
cluding Roger Staubach’s run.
“Hail Mary”, the “Miracle MISSED OPPORTUNITY
in the Meadowlands” and The Patriots squandered a
the “Immaculate Recep- scoring chance at the end
tion”. The play was the of the first half. With 14 sec-
longest from scrimmage to onds left and no timeouts,
win a game with no time re- Brady took the snap at the
maining in the fourth quar- Miami 2, and when he was
ter since the 1970 merger. sacked by Robert Quinn
Brady threw for 358 yards the clock ran out, leaving
and three scores, but the the Patriots with a 27-21
stunned Patriots (9-4) lost lead.q