Dolphins vs. Patriots: Score, Twitter Reaction as New England Clinches AFC East

The New England Patriots came into Sunday with a chance to clinch the AFC East division. With a 41-13 win over the Miami Dolphins, the Patriots did just that and are headed for the playoffs yet again.   

It's become an all-too-familiar spot for New England, who won the division for the sixth straight year and 11th time in the last 12 seasons. The Patriots' official account provides a look at the final from Gillette Stadium:

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick also made a bit of history Sunday. Coming into the game, he sat fifth on the list of all-time wins among NFL coaches.    

Sunday's victory puts Belichick at 229 wins, leaving him tied with Curly Lambeau, as Bill Hofheimer of ESPN notes:

Many of those wins have been with Tom Brady under center, who was making his 205th start Sunday. The future Hall of Famer finished 21-of-35 passing with 287 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Brady's key targets were Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman, who compiled a combined 184 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Along with the receiving duo, LeGarrette Blount had 24 total yards and a touchdown, while Jonas Gray totaled 69 yards from scrimmage.

On a day where everything was working for the Pats, Brady even got in on the ground game. His 17-yard run in the third quarter to set up Blount's touchdown was a shocking moment for the normally immobile quarterback, via the NFL's Twitter account:

Ryan Tannehill, on the other hand, scuffled throughout the game. Coming in with plenty of confidence, Tannehill finished 29-of-47 passing with 346 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

Most of that production came on a spectacular catch by Mike Wallace to close out the first half. Down 14-6, Wallace pulled down a 32-yard pass to give the Dolphins new life with just five seconds remaining in the second quarter.

Wallace finished with a game-high 104 receiving yards and Miami's lone touchdown. Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com notes everything that went into the huge reception:

That catch would not provide enough of a spark for Miami, however, as the team came out flat in the second half. It was all Patriots early in the second half as Blount, Gronkowski and Edelman all came away with touchdowns in the third quarter.

Gronk's 27-yard touchdown all but secured the blowout win, but it was the defensive stand prior to the score that led to the one-play drive. Patrick Chung came away with an interception on a tipped pass from Tannehill.

New England's account and SportsCenter point out how pivotal the pick was for New England:

The offensive fireworks didn't come to an end after that touchdown, either, as Edelman soon made his impact with a score. Outside of fantasy owners rejoicing, it was merely the cherry on top with the game already out of hand.

Erik Frenz of Bleacher Report and Boston.com noted how quickly the game changed after the first half:

New England's win also avenged a loss earlier in the season against the Dolphins in the season opener. The Patriots have completely bounced back since that point, but Sunday was yet another chance to prove they've recovered from their early-season woes.

In fact, Adam Schefter of ESPN points out one way that Belichick got his team prepared:

ESPN Stats & Info also noted how rare the loss would have been:

The loss was potentially a backbreaking one for the Dolphins, who dropped to 7-7 on the season. Offensive lineman Mike Pouncey spoke about how important the second game against New England was for making the postseason.

"I view this as a one-game season right now," Pouncey said, via Chris Perkins of the Sun Sentinel, "because we know if we don't win this game, we really don't have a chance at the playoffs."

Mathematically, there might still be a chance. However, the Dolphins are still looking at steep odds to make the field even if they win out against the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets.

New England, on the other hand, is no longer playing for a spot in the postseason. Facing the division-rival Jets and Buffalo Bills to close out the season, the Pats are now looking to secure either the AFC's No. 1 seed or at least a first-round bye.

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