MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Midway through the third quarter of Sunday’s 24-19 win against the Dolphins, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye stepped up and heaved a pass deep downfield to wide receiver Kyle Williams.
The ball hit Williams in stride at Miami’s 5-yard line. He broke through the tackle of Dolphins safety Michael Taaffe to cross the goal line and score a much-needed touchdown for New England’s offense. Or did he?
In the process, Williams’s knee had knocked the ball out of his grasp. Taaffe, seeing the ball on the ground, got up and immediately started motioning incomplete. After a brief discussion, the officials did the same. The Patriots, trailing 13-3, started signaling touchdown and delayed lining up for their third-down play at Miami’s 43.
Kyle Williams lost control of the ball in the end zone but had it long enough for it to be ruled a touchdown.
Kyle Williams lost control of the ball in the end zone but had it long enough for it to be ruled a touchdown.
Coach Mike Vrabel immediately grabbed the red challenge flag, but waited in hopes of a replay assist. When nothing came from upstairs, Vrabel, standing in front of one of the officials, heaved the flag almost 15 yards.
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As play-by-play announcer Andrew Catalon said on CBS, “Vrabel just threw a [Jacob] Misiorowski fastball out to midfield with the challenge flag.”
“Vrabes threw the flag kind of over me,” wide receiver DeMario Douglas (5 feet 8 inches) said. “I was like, ‘Oh snap!’”
As the crew reviewed the play, Hard Rock Stadium showed it several times on the jumbotron. The overwhelmingly pro-Patriots crowd cheered with each slo-mo replay, knowing it was a score. Patriots players continued to put their hands up, signaling touchdown.
Related: Tara Sullivan: The full Drake Maye experience was on display in Patriots’ win over Dolphins
Asked if the nature of his throw had anything to do with how certain he was that it was a touchdown, Vrabel, who was recently fined $250,000 for his conduct toward officials, kept his answer short.
“I was a lot more certain than the officials were the first time they called it, I guess I’d say that,” he said.
Sure enough, the call on the field was overturned. Vice president of instant replay Mark Butterworth said via a pool report that the ball crossed the goal line and broke the plane of the goal line before Williams lost control of the ball. Touchdown.
“We always say, ‘It takes one play,’” Williams said. “That was one play we needed to shift gears and change the momentum. Shoutout to Vrabes for challenging the call.”
Williams, who has five touchdowns of 30-plus yards in his career, had a good feeling about the play from the moment offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels called it.
“It’s something we’ve been trying to get on the call sheet for weeks and weeks and weeks,” he said. “They gave us the perfect look.”
Through one half, it looked as though the lengthy list of injuries had finally caught up to the Patriots. The offense, down A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, and Mack Hollins, scored just 3 points against the rebuilding, one-win Dolphins. Efton Chism, who caught two passes and fumbled one, was the only receiver with any production.
The injuries continued to pile up Sunday, with tight end Hunter Henry exiting in the second quarter because of a foot injury.
“Everybody had a chip on their shoulder,” Williams said. “Everybody was keeping their head up, knowing that we had to change the game. It was going to come down to somebody. We didn’t know who.”
Williams’s pivotal play sparked the comeback, as the Patriots scored two more touchdowns. Their performance in the second half was a stark contrast to their ugly showing in the first.
Douglas, after a catchless first half, recorded three receptions for 76 yards, including a 48-yard score. Chism bounced back from his turnover to catch three more passes. After logging just 41 passing yards in the first half, Maye finished with 199.
“Them guys, first off, they do things right all the time,” Maye said. “I think it’s a credit for them blocking in the run game and getting rewarded. Pop’s tough to tackle. You saw it on the touchdown run. And it was good for Kyle to get one, another deep one. We got to get those guys the ball in space more.”
The uncertainty surrounding Brown is a dark cloud hovering over the rest of the season. After returning from the high ankle sprain that sidelined him for Weeks 2-5, Brown couldn’t practice for two days this past week because his degenerative knee condition flared up. The Patriots were aware of the issue when they traded for Brown.
If the organization’s prized offseason acquisition is unable to return to form, then the decision to part with a first-round pick undoubtedly comes into question. Given the excitement surrounding the pairing of Maye and Brown, the offense surely wants him back for the second half of the season and into the playoffs.
Hollins (calf) is eligible to return from injured reserve ahead of next Sunday’s game against the Packers. The earliest Doubs (shoulder) could be available is against the Chargers Nov. 29.
Up next for the Patriots are back-to-back games against tough NFC North opponents, the Packers at home and then the Lions in Munich.
“We’ve been preaching opportunity,” Douglas said. “I think our coaches do a great job of having everybody prepare as a starter. When somebody gets hurt, somebody steps up and knows what they’re doing. I applaud this team with how hard we work and how prepared we are.”