Patriots vs. Dolphins: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2017 Regular Season

The New England Patriots improved to 14-2 and clinched the top seed in the AFC with a 35-14 win over the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.

Quarterback Tom Brady threw for 276 yards and three touchdowns on 25-of-33 passing. He also supplanted Dolphins legend Dan Marino for fourth in all-time passing yards, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The Boston Globe's Ben Volin noted Brady and the Patriots both made history in the victory:

Wide receiver Julian Edelman closed out the regular season in style, catching eight passes for a career-high 151 yards and a touchdown.

Before the game, the quality of the playing surface at Hard Rock Stadium became a talking point. Stadium personnel had little time to work on the field following Florida State's 33-32 win over Michigan in the Orange Bowl on Friday.

CSN New England's Michael Giardi shared a photo of the grass as well as a shot of workers attempting to patch up the turf prior to the game:

The Sun Sentinel's Omar Kelly noted some players were losing their footing during pregame warm-ups.

The Patriots didn't seem to have any problem with the field in the first half, though, as they jumped out to a 20-7 lead by halftime.

Brady and Martellus Bennett connected on a two-yard pass to get New England on the board in the first quarter. The Patriots shared a replay of the touchdown on Twitter:

Brady helped New England double its lead with 3:44 left in the first quarter. Michael Floyd got his first touchdown reception as a Patriots player after fighting through four Dolphins defenders en route to the end zone.

It looked like Miami would stop Floyd at the 3-yard line. SNF on NBC showed he was surrounded on all sides:

Miami couldn't wrap up the 27-year-old wideout, however, and he crossed the goal line to complete the 14-yard touchdown.

Stephen Gostkowski connected on two field goals in the second quarter to add to the Patriots' lead.

Jarvis Landry mimicked Floyd with 28 seconds left in the first half to get Miami's first touchdown. The Dolphins wide receiver bounced off a would-be tackler before diving to the corner of the end zone on an eight-yard pass from Matt Moore.

According to SportsCenter, it was the first touchdown New England had allowed in the last 10 quarters.

ESPN's Trey Wingo praised Landry's effort on the score, especially in light of his team's poor start to the game:

Kenny Stills brought the Dolphins to within a score with his 25-yard touchdown reception on the opening drive of the third quarter, but Edelman helped the Patriots restore their 13-point lead with 6:41 left in the quarter.

Edelman caught a pass from Brady on a curl route, and a block from Floyd allowed him to go 77 yards to the end zone untouched. The NFL provided a replay of the touchdown:

NFL.com's Ian Rapoport didn't think Floyd's hard work on the play would go unnoticed by the Patriots coaching staff:

LeGarrette Blount padded New England's advantage with a one-yard touchdown run with 5:33 remaining in the game. The touchdown came after Miami was poised to put points on the board. However, Damien Williams fumbled on the Patriots' 6-yard line. Shea McClellin recovered the fumble and returned it to the Dolphins' 18-yard line to set up Blount's run, which effectively sealed New England's win.

The 21-point loss at home isn't an encouraging result for Miami, which dropped to 10-6, as it prepares for the playoffs. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill's knee injury didn't derail the Dolphins' postseason hopes, but it will be a big hurdle for the team to overcome in the Wild Card Round.

On Monday, the Miami Herald's Armando Salguero reported the Dolphins have kept the door open for Tannehill to return in the playoffs. In the event Moore is forced to start for Miami in the postseason, the team could be looking at an early exit.

Sunday was business as usual for the Patriots, and nothing from their win should give fans any less reason to expect a ninth AFC title. New England is firing on all cylinders, and its top competition will be without its starting quarterback after Oakland Raiders star Derek Carr suffered a broken fibula in Week 16.

Especially having clinched home-field advantage, the Patriots will be strong favorites to represent their conference in Super Bowl LI.

Postgame Reaction

After the game, Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase essentially shrugged his shoulders after Brady's big day.

"He's a Hall of Famer," Gase said, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "It happens. A lot."

"This has always been a challenging place for us, for one reason or another," Brady said of the win. "But we just found a way to beat a good football team."

Speaking about Floyd's block on his touchdown reception, Edelman said he "felt some wind go by," according to Erik Scalavino of the Patriots' official site. Edelman went on to speak highly of Floyd, who caught three passes for 36 yards and a touchdown.

"Mike's playing well for us," Edelman said. "He's been here a few weeks and to make an impact like he has just shows he's a mentally tough guy. He's been through some stuff, and to put that aside and help us win ballgames is huge."