Brown runs, throws Dolphins to blowout of Patriots

[September 22, 2008]  FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) -- Ronnie Brown and the lowly Miami Dolphins ended the Patriots' record winning streak and made New England's defense look as shaky as its Tom Brady-less offense Sunday. Brown scored a team record four touchdowns rushing and threw for another -- with four of the scores coming on direct snaps to the running back -- as Miami stunned New England 38-13 Sunday.

The loss ended the Patriots' NFL mark of 21 straight regular-season wins that began after a 21-0 loss to the Dolphins on Dec. 10, 2006 in which Brady was sacked four times. It also ended New England's chance for a second straight unbeaten regular season.

The Dolphins, who lost their first 13 games last year and finished 1-15, won for just the second time in 22 games. It was the first victory for first-year coach Tony Sparano, and it was a stunner.

The Patriots kept getting fooled by the same trickery: six direct snaps resulting in four touchdowns after the Dolphins didn't use the play in their other two games.

And New England didn't have Brady to lead a winning comeback as he's done 28 times in the fourth quarter. They had to rely on Matt Cassel and an offense missing running back Laurence Maroney with a shoulder injury, and that was far from enough.

Brown gained 113 yards on 17 carries and the Dolphins outgained the Patriots 461 yards to 216.

Cassel completed 19 of 31 passes for 131 yards with one touchdown, one interception and a lost fumble. Miami's Chad Pennington went 17-for-20 for 226 yards.

Both New England (2-1) and Miami (1-2) have changed dramatically since last season.

Brady was lost for the year with a knee injury in the first quarter of the opener, and Cassel made his first start since high school in a 19-10 win at the New York Jets. Pennington is one of 27 Dolphins who were not on the team at the end of last season.

After the Dolphins punted on their first series, the former Jets quarterback led them on drives of 74, 79 and 77 yards, ending in Brown's touchdowns of 2, 15 and 5 yards. The Patriots managed just two field goals by Stephen Gostkowski, covering 37 and 44 yards, and trailed 21-6 at halftime.

The Patriots got tricked again when Brown took another snap, rolled out and threw a left-handed pass to Anthony Fasano for a 19-yard touchdown as Miami opened a 28-6 bulge in the third quarter.

Cassel then threw his first touchdown pass of the year in 11 quarters of play when he connected with Jabar Gaffney for 4 yards.

The Dolphins got that back with a big, and familiar, play: a direct snap that Brown carried 62 yards to the final touchdown.

Miami even had the edge on pregame trash talk.

On Wednesday, linebacker Joey Porter said beating the Patriots without Brady "shouldn't be that hard." Then Porter made the play that would set the tone for the game when he sacked Cassel for a 5-yard loss on a first-and-goal play at the 7. The crowd booed Porter.

On the next two plays, Cassel was sacked by Phillip Merling and threw an interception to defensive end Randy Starks that set up the first touchdown drive.

Porter got to Cassel again on the next-to-last play of the half for an 8-yard sack.

The crowd booed once more when the teams went off the field at halftime, this time directing its feelings at a team that went on to lose for the first time in 16 home games, back to a 17-14 loss to the Jets on Nov. 12, 2006.

[Associated Press; By HOWARD ULMAN]

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