 With this victory the Patriots also swept the entire NFC North.On a day when a victory would give the Patriots their third consecutive AFC East title, nothing seemed to go right for the Patriots as the Dolphins outplayed the Patriots to split the season series and give New England their first shutout since 2003, defeating the Patriots 21–0.The first half was a defensive struggle with the only points coming from Olindo Mare, in the form of a 35-yard and a 33-yard field goal.