Patriots defense gets strong wake-up call after Dolphins WR has best game in 2024

Coming into the 2024 season, the Patriots were not concerned about how their defense would perform, as most of the same players from last year were still on the roster, and the offense remained the primary worry. Plus, the addition of linebackers coach Jerod Mayo as the successor to Bill Belichick seemed like a good thing for the defensive group, as they all raved about the coach and wanted to play for him this year.

The problem with that, however, has been their consistently problematic performance as the season has progressed. They weren't fantastic at the beginning of the year, but they have declined as the weeks have passed, which is a concerning development given it should be the other way around.

Their efforts have come up short for most of the season, especially at the start of games, and they have developed the unfortunate pattern of playing better in the final quarter of the game.

It's a good and bad thing, as it's a bit too late for the team to make a comeback as they are usually down at that point, which was precisely the issue against the Dolphins on Sunday.

Patriots defense allowed a season-best performance by Jaylen Waddle on Sunday

Playing a team like Miami with as much offensive firepower as they have is never easy for any defense, no matter how good they are otherwise. The Patriots ran into that issue last week against the Rams, as they have Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua as their leading wide receivers and Kyren Williams as their explosive backfield threat.

They fed on New England's defense, which didn't bode well for their chances against a Dolphins offense made up of Tyreek Hill, Jonnu Smith, and Jaylen Waddle, and they lived up to those concerns early in this game.

The rise of Smith continued in Week 12, as he recorded nine receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown. But it was Waddle's performance that gave the Patriots a wake-up call.

The receiver hadn't surpassed 100 yards since the season opener, quietly becoming almost a non-factor for the Dolphins offense in the several weeks since. That, of course, became a thing of the past against the Patriots, as he recorded a team-high eight receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown.

It was a season-high for Waddle, which was expected to happen with at least one receiver, likely Hill. Instead, Waddle was able to do almost anything he wanted against a struggling Patriots defense, and hopefully, that will be enough for the coaching staff to make adjustments the rest of the way.

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