Winners & losers from the Miami Dolphins’ Week 8 loss to the New England Patriots
Who were the best (and worst) performances for the Miami Dolphins in Week 8 of the 2026 NFL season?
The Miami Dolphins did not win in Week 8 against the New England Patriots. That does not mean, however, that there were not individual performances to feel good about.
Who came out on either side of the spectrum for the Dolphins in their 24-19 defeat at the hands of New England? Here are eight total winners and losers from Miami’s seventh game of the season — four on either side.
Winners & losers from the Miami Dolphins’ Week 8 loss to the New England Patriots
Winner: WR Malik Washington
Washington survived a nasty hit across the middle and returned to log a touchdown late in the first half for the Dolphins — his first of the season. And, with Miami still having 10 games left to play, Washington has posted a career high in receiving yards in a single season (329).
For all of the questions about Miami’s wide receiver room, Washington has become a productive wide receiver. Not just the gadget player he was relegated to be in the previous offense.
Loser: CB JuJu Brents
Brents cleared concussion protocol after a limited week of practice last week. His return to the lineup helped to ease the pressure of what could have been an ugly matchup for Miami. But Brents was at the center of one of the back-breaking plays by New England’s offense. When QB Drake Maye got outside the pocket and onto the edge, he ripped a comeback to WR Pop Douglas for a gain against Brents.
It’s what happened next that was most frustrating. Brents pressed his angle of pursuit tight to the sideline and allowed Douglas to break back inside, into the field. There was a ton of grass waiting for him — and Douglas romped to the end zone for an explosive touchdown.
Winner: Rookie WR Kevin Coleman Jr.
Kudos to Coleman Jr. for his first career touchdown. And it came in the way of Miami finally connecting on an explosive play downfield. Yes, rookie Caleb Douglas had a 60+ yard touchdown last year, but that was a quick hitter to beat the blitz. This was the first connected deep shot from the Dolphins’ passing game — an effective double move that created a quick score.
Loser: RB Ollie Gordon II
Gordon II didn’t get much help up front on Sunday. The Dolphins’ offensive line struggled to get things going and create creases in the run game. It was a stark regression from what we saw in the previous month for Miami. But Gordon II made a bad situation worse with a personal foul for jawing at the Patriots. And then, of course, the subsequent blowup on the sideline.
I’m looking forward to seeing how Gordon responds.
Winner: OG Kadyn Proctor(!)
A winner who didn’t even play! The Dolphins sorely missed Proctor’s power and physicality at the point of attack. If you’re looking for evidence of what kind of draft choice the Dolphins ultimately have on their hands, look no further than the performance without Proctor. Miami’s interior offensive line was not the same without him.
Loser: K Zane Gonzalez
One week without a special teams folly was fun. But alas, it was short-lived. Miami endured a missed kick late in the game that, ultimately, sunk the chances of a comeback. Gonzalez replaced Riley Patterson as the team’s kicker out of the bye week. He’s been tabbed as a more reliable kicker from depth — but Gonzalez cost Miami points and nearly cost them more after banking an earlier kick off the upright and through.
Winner: EDGE Chop Robinson
Two sacks for Chop! All of that talk about pressures but not sacks came to a head against New England — and Robinson nearly had a third sack on the final Patriots touchdown. He’s continuing to show more and more persistent pressure and finally is starting to look like his first-round pedigree.
Loser: OG Jonah Savaiinaea
It’s been a fairly stable season for Savaiinaea. Certainly much better than his rookie season at left guard. But the Dolphins saw some regression against a Patriots front that created havoc for Miami’s running game and pass protection alike. Hopefully the return of Proctor can bring better balance to Miami’s protections and elevate the performance across the board — Miami was not good enough up front against New England. Savaiinaea included.
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