FOXBOROUGH, Ma – The New England Patriots capped off their 2025 regular season by cruising to a 38-10 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. The win locked the Patriots into the AFC's second seed in the playoffs with an impressive 14-3 record.

With this Patriots win, as well as wins by the Broncos and Bills in Week 18, New England is now locked in to host the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

Rhamondre Stevenson led the way with 131 yards rushing and three touchdowns, two rushing and one receiving, while the defense forced two key takeaways, a fumble forced by Jack Gibbens, recovered by Elijah Ponder, and an interception by Jaylinn Hawkins. Those takeaways kept rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers and his pesky offense at bay.

Rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson also chipped in two rushing touchdowns as New England leaned into their run game. It was Henderson's 10th touchdown of the season, tying him with Rob Gronkowski for the third-most by a Patriots rookie in team history.

Quarterback Drake Maye had a relatively quiet night that only lasted three quarters, completing 14-of-18 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown. He did just enough, including 41 rushing yards, to keep the Pats out in front for the entirety of the game.

Here's how the Patriots wrapped up the 2025 regular season with a win!

1. Three Plays and a Touchdown

The Patriots wasted little time establishing a lead, needing just three plays to get into the end zone. Rhamondre Stevenson did the heavy lifting with a 56-yard run that took New England all the way to the Miami 5-yard line. Fellow running back TreVeyon Henderson finished it off on the next play to give the Patriots a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game.

Will Campbell started at left tackle, while fellow IR returnee Milton Williams started on the defensive side of the ball, but rotated in and out as he knocked off the rust after missing five games. Williams quickly made his presence felt, picking up a tackle-for-loss inside the red zone that helped lead to a fourth-down stop for the Patriots defense on Miami's first possession at the New England eight-yard line.

2. 14-0 Patriots

After the defense got a fourth-down red-zone stop, the offense strung together a long scoring drive to extend their lead to 14-0. The biggest play of the drive came on a flea flicker to Efton Chism III, good for 35 yards. Stevenson picked up the touchdown as the Patriots went into a Wildcat formation with Stevenson taking the direct snap. It was an appropriate play call given the Dolphins were the ones who sprung the Wildcat on the Patriots back in 2008. This time the Patriots used it to give them a two-score lead with just under a minute to go in the first quarter.

3. Miami Gets Back In It

Down 14-0, the Dolphins needed a response drive and rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers would lead them on it. Miami mixed a nice blend of runs and passes on their most sustained drive of the day. The drive lasted 10 plays and went 65 yards, and Miami faced just one 3rd-and-1 which they easily converted. Their touchdown play was well designed, as receiver Malik Washington slipped uncovered into the corner of the end zone where Ewers hit him off of play action.

Just when it looked like New England might run away with the game uncontested, the Dolphins offense showed they wouldn't go quietly. New England led 14-7 with 10 minutes to go in the first half.

Miami would quickly get the ball back after Maye and the Patriots offense went three-and-out on their third possession, but a 56-yard punt by Bryce Baringer helped pin the Dolphins back at their own 11-yard line, with a solid stop by Brenden Schooler.

The Patriots defense would force a three-and-out of their own thanks to Corey Durden's impressive run stop on 3rd-and-1. That gave the ball back to Maye and the offense, but they failed to pick up a first down. The Patriots stayed aggressive and went for it on 4th-and-1, but TreVeyon Henderson was stopped short and Miami took over at New England's 39-yard line.

4. Patriots Defense Forces a Turnover

It looked like Miami was about to make things even more interesting after their fourth down stop when they took over in New England territory, but first came a holding penalty that backed them up, then Jaylen Wright fumbled and the Patriots took back over, now at Miami's 37. Jack Gibbens forced the fumble and Elijah Ponder recovered it for the first turnover of the game.

The offense couldn't get much going off the takeaway, with a Morgan Moses holding penalty and a Hunter Henry offensive pass interference penalty setting the back. It appeared they would settle for an Andy Borregales field goal, but the attempt was blocked.

Miami chased down the loose ball and recovered it at the Patriots 40-yard line with 1:31 left in the half and a chance to tie the game up with a touchdown. But they'd be forced to settle for a field goal, thanks to a big sack by Christian Barmore that helped the Patriots defense get the stop.

With their lead reduced to four points, Maye and the offense weren't quite ready to go to halftime, even with less than 30 second remaining and no timeouts. First, Maye hit Kayshon Boutte along the sideline, then scrambled for 14 more yards. It was just enough for a field goal attempt and this time Borregales and the special teams delivered with a 59-yarder that made it 17-10 Patriots at the half. It was the longest field goal of Borregales' career and the third longest field goal in Patriots history behind Joey Slye (63 yards, 2024) and Stephen Gostkowski (62 yards, 2017).

5. Pats Stop Miami and Pull Away

Miami jumped on the Patriots right out of the gate in the third quarter, picking up a 27-yard pass interference penalty on Carlton Davis on the very first play of the second half to immediately take them into Patriots territory. The Dolphins also converted a 3rd-and-17 thanks to a 20-yard tight end screen to Greg Dulcich that kept the drive moving.

But once again, the Patriots defense stepped up and got a takeaway when Ewers launched a pass into the end zone that was caught by Jaylinn Hawkins. That stopped Miami's momentum out of the locker room and gave the ball back to Maye and the offense. For Hawkins, it was his team-leading fourth interception.

After going touchdown-less in the second quarter, the Patriots offense wouldn't squander this opportunity. It took seven plays to go 80 yards, and Maye hit an open Stevenson for the touchdown to cap it off. Stevenson continued his outstanding play in recent weeks with a key 20-yard rush on 3rd-and-1 along the way, while Hunter Henry chipped in a 29-yard catch and run as well.

Back up 24-10, the Patriots were rolling halfway through the third quarter. Then Rhamondre Stevenson continued his standout night with a 35-yard touchdown run right up the gut of Miami's defense. That made it 31-10 as New England continued to pull away. Stevenson went over 100 rushing yards with the carry, he's peaking at the right time.

Not to be forgotten, Henderson added his second rushing touchdown as well, extending New England's lead to 38-10 at the start of the fourth quarter.

6. Patriots Finish 2025 14-3, Will Face LA Chargers in Wild Card Round

With the win, the Patriots wrap up their 2025 regular season with a 14-3 record. It's the sixth time in franchise history that the Pats have won 14 or more games (2003, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2016). New England also secured the second overall seed in the AFC thanks to Denver's win over the Chargers. Next up, the Patriots will face those same Chargers in the Wild Card playoff round next weekend.

While the Patriots will now refocus on the playoffs, the season finale was a reminder of how far the team has come in just one season. They went 5-1 in the AFC East, securing their 22nd division title in team history, and rattled off a mid-season 10-game winning streak, their sixth such streak in franchise history. Their 14 wins puts them in elite company with other Patriots teams in franchise history, including three Super Bowl champions.

Now, it's on to the playoffs for the first time since the 2021 season.

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