2018 NFL Power Rankings, Week 15: Cowboys hot, Steelers not
. 9-4. Previous: . New England Patriots. 6. team. 47
Recap: South Florida has not been an ideal setting for the Patriots, who had dropped four of their last five road games in this series entering Sunday’s contest. Back in Week 4, New England rolled the Dolphins, 38-7, at Foxborough. On Sunday, these longtime divisional rivals went back and forth all day. The Patriots owned a 27-21 lead at halftime and a 33-28 advantage with seven seconds on the clock. But the Dolphins lateraled their way to a 69-yard touchdown as time expired and stunned Bill Belichick’s team. It was an odd performance by the club, who gave up 189 yards on the ground and watched kicker Stephen Gostkowski miss a PAT and a 42-yard field goal.
Next Week: The Pats have had the Pittsburgh Steelers’ number per say in recent years. And it hasn’t mattered were the game has been played. Dating back to 2001 and including three wins in the AFC title game, New England owns an 11-3 edge in the series. That includes last season’s 27-24 win at Heinz Field (Week 15).
Playoff hopes: The Patriots were seconds away from clinching a 10th straight AFC East title. But it wasn’t meant to be and that will have to wait another week. Belichick’s perplexing team now owns a disappointing 3-4 road record and now heads to Pittsburgh for a key showdown within the conference.
Next: No. 5