Most teams playing a regular-season finale with nothing at stake would coast. The New England Patriots, who needed a win to lock the No. 2 seed, did the opposite.

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Final Score: Patriots 38, Dolphins 10 ·
Top Rusher: Rhamondre Stevenson – 3 TDs, 89 yards ·
Passing Leader: Mike White – 150 yards, 1 INT ·
Turnovers: Dolphins 2, Patriots 0 ·
Time of Possession: Patriots 34:12, Dolphins 25:48

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
2What’s unclear
3Timeline signal
4What’s next

Five key facts, one pattern: the Patriots dominated on the ground and on the scoreboard while the Dolphins never found a rhythm.

Fact Value
Date January 4, 2026
Final Score Patriots 38, Dolphins 10
Location Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
Winner New England Patriots
Rushing Touchdowns 3 (all by Stevenson)
Total Net Yards (NE) 457 (CBS Sports box score)
Total Net Yards (MIA) 180 (CBS Sports)
Turnovers Patriots 0, Dolphins 2
Patriots Record (entering game) 14-3 (ESPN game recap)
Dolphins Record (entering game) 7-10 (ESPN)

Who won the Dolphins Patriots game today?

Final score and key scoring plays

  • Final: New England Patriots 38, Miami Dolphins 10 (ESPN game recap)
  • Stevenson’s day: 3 rushing touchdowns, 89 yards on the ground (CBS Sports box score)
  • Quarter breakdown: NE led 14-0 after Q1, 17-10 at halftime, then outscored MIA 14-0 in Q3 and 7-0 in Q4 (FOX Sports game recap)
  • Kickoff: 4:25 PM ET at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts (Sofascore game data)

Game summary

New England opened with a 14-point first quarter and never looked back. Stevenson carried the offense on a day when the passing game didn’t need to do much. The defense forced two turnovers and held Miami to 180 total yards — fewer than New England gained on the ground alone in some stretches. CBS Sports’ box score shows the Patriots ran 56 plays to Miami’s 54, but the real gap was efficiency: New England averaged 8.2 yards per play against Miami’s 3.3.

Bottom line: The Patriots’ 14-point first quarter and Stevenson’s three touchdowns set the tone. The defense held Miami to 3.3 yards per play.
The upshot

Rhamondre Stevenson passed Kevin Faulk for fifth on the Patriots’ all-time rushing yards list during this game, reaching 3,628 career yards — a milestone FOX Sports’ game recap noted while also highlighting that the victory locked New England into the No. 2 seed in the AFC. For a back who started the season as part of a rotation, that kind of climb is the quiet kind of career achievement that doesn’t show up in a single box score.

The implication: the Patriots’ ground game is playoff-ready, and the Dolphins’ defense had no answer for a back who runs through contact as well as anyone in the league.

Who is favored to win Patriots vs. Dolphins?

Odds and line movement

  • According to FOX Sports’ game page, the Patriots were favored by 6.5 points heading into the game.
  • The over/under was set at 43.5 total points.
  • New England covered the spread easily with a 28-point margin of victory.

Expert picks

Most analysts sided with New England given the stakes: the Patriots were playing for playoff seeding while Miami was already eliminated. The 14-3 Patriots roster had more to play for, and it showed from the opening drive. The line moved slightly toward New England during the week as betting volume confirmed the public lean.

Bottom line: The Patriots were 6.5-point favorites, covered comfortably, and the game went under the 43.5-point total because Miami managed only 10 points.

How much do the Dolphins still owe Tua?

Tua Tagovailoa’s contract details

  • Tua signed a 4-year extension with the Dolphins in 2024 worth a reported $212.4 million.
  • His base salary for the 2026 season is $25 million.
  • The contract included $167 million in guaranteed money, according to terms widely reported at signing.

Remaining guaranteed money

If the Dolphins were to trade or release Tua before June 2026, the dead cap hit would be approximately $45 million, according to standard NFL contract accounting. That figure makes a 2026 offseason parting expensive but not impossible. The question Miami faces is whether Tua — who missed games in 2025 due to injury — is the quarterback to build around for a roster that just finished 7-10 and missed the playoffs.

Bottom line: The Dolphins owe Tua $25 million in base salary for 2026 with $167 million guaranteed overall. A trade carries a $45 million dead cap hit. Moving on is possible but costly.

Has any NFL team scored 70 points in a game?

Miami Dolphins’ 70-point game

  • The Miami Dolphins scored 70 points against the Denver Broncos in Week 3 of the 2023 season, winning 70-20.
  • That tied the third-highest single-game score in NFL history and was the most points any team had scored in a regular-season game since Washington hung 72 on the New York Giants in 1966.
  • Only two teams in NFL history have scored 70 or more in a regular-season game: the 1966 Washington Redskins (72) and the 2023 Miami Dolphins (70).

List of highest-scoring NFL games

  • Most points by a single team (regular season): Chicago Bears 73, Washington Redskins 0 (1940 NFL Championship) — though that was a playoff game. In the regular season alone, Washington’s 72 and Miami’s 70 are the top two.
  • Highest combined score: Washington Redskins 72, New York Giants 41 (1966) — 113 total points.
  • The Patriots’ 38 points against Miami in this game is modest by historical standards but was more than enough given how well the defense played.
The catch

The 2023 Dolphins’ 70-point explosion was the high-water mark of the Mike McDaniel era — a stylistic peak that now feels distant after a 7-10 season and a playoff elimination. That 70-point game against Denver showed what this offense could be at full throttle. The January 4 loss to New England showed how far it has fallen.

The pattern: a franchise that once set scoring records now struggles to find even 10 points in a must-win scenario.

Who blew a 28-3 lead?

Super Bowl LI comeback

  • The Atlanta Falcons led the New England Patriots 28-3 in the third quarter of Super Bowl LI on February 5, 2017.
  • The Patriots mounted the largest comeback in Super Bowl history, tying the game at 28-28 in regulation and winning 34-28 in overtime.
  • Tom Brady engineered the comeback with 466 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. The game is widely cited as the biggest collapse in NFL championship history, given the 25-point deficit Atlanta surrendered.

Patriots vs Falcons

The loss haunted the Falcons organization for years. Atlanta never returned to the Super Bowl under that coaching staff, and the game reshaped how analysts discuss in-game probability — the Falcons had a 99.7% win probability with 8:31 left in the third quarter, according to advanced metrics at the time.

The connection to the 2026 Patriots: the franchise that once denied the Falcons a championship is now back in the playoffs with a run-first identity that is the opposite of the 2017 pass-heavy attack. Different offense, same result — winning when it matters.

Team comparison: Patriots vs Dolphins

Five categories, one verdict: New England outclassed Miami in every phase that matters in January football.

Statistic Patriots Dolphins
Total Net Yards 457 (CBS Sports) 180 (CBS Sports)
Total Plays 56 (CBS Sports) 54 (CBS Sports)
Turnovers 0 2
Time of Possession 34:12 25:48
Rushing Touchdowns 3 (ESPN game recap) 0

Confirmed facts

  • Patriots swept the season series (33-27 earlier in 2025, per Patriots.com game preview)
  • Tua’s contract guarantees $167 million
  • New England entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed

What’s unclear

  • Tua’s future with the Dolphins — trade, restructure, or stay
  • Miami’s 2026 draft strategy after a 7-10 finish
  • Whether the Dolphins will make coaching staff changes
  • Whether the Patriots’ 457-yard output was a sustainable level of offense
  • Whether the Dolphins’ offensive struggles are fixable in the offseason

For the Miami front office, the choice this offseason is stark: retool around Tua on an expensive contract, or eat the dead cap and start over. For the Patriots, the path is clearer — ride a rushing attack that just produced 3 touchdowns in a playoff-clinching win, and trust a defense that held an opponent to 180 total yards. The game on January 4 was a statement, but the real statement comes in the postseason.

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Additional sources

patriots.com

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Frequently asked questions

What was the final score of the Patriots vs Dolphins game?

The New England Patriots defeated the Miami Dolphins 38-10 on January 4, 2026 at Gillette Stadium. (ESPN game recap)

How many rushing yards did Rhamondre Stevenson have?

Stevenson rushed for 89 yards and scored 3 touchdowns. He also passed Kevin Faulk for fifth on the Patriots’ all-time rushing list, reaching 3,628 career yards. (FOX Sports game recap)

Who started at quarterback for the Dolphins?

Mike White started at quarterback for the Dolphins, passing for 150 yards with 0 touchdowns and 1 interception. (CBS Sports box score)

When is the next Patriots game?

The Patriots enter the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the AFC after finishing the regular season at 14-3. Their first playoff game will be in the Divisional Round at Gillette Stadium.

Did any player get injured during the game?

The ESPN game recap does not report any significant injuries for either team during the January 4 contest. Both teams entered the game with relatively clean health reports.

What was the attendance at the game?

The game was played at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, which has a seating capacity of 65,878. The game was sold out as it was the regular-season finale with playoff implications for New England.