Since we dubbed one rabbit-out-of-the-hat style victory over the New England Patriots the “Miami Miracle,” maybe we should consider calling Sunday’s 17-16 win “Escape from Foxborough” because that’s exactly what the Dolphins did.
Elite cornerback Xavien Howard bailed this team out by forcing a fumble and recovering it in the red zone while the Patriots were threatening to overtake Miami’s 17-16 lead in the final four minutes, much like he did for all of 2020, being the main reason Miami had a top-six defense that season.
Without that turnover created when Howard stripped the football from tailback Damien Harris’ arms, the Patriots would have likely ran the clock down before kicking a game-winning field goal or scoring touchdown.