Published October 6, 2002
MIAMI (AP) - Zach Thomas busted his chin strap tackling Kevin Faulk, one in a series of jarring hits that helped the Miami Dolphins knock the New England Patriots out of first place. The Dolphins sacked former Michigan quarterback Tom Brady three times, pressured him into mistakes, pounded the middle with Ricky Williams and handed the Patriots their second loss in a row yesterday, 26-13.
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The victory left Miami (4-1) alone atop the AFC East, while the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots (3-2) fell a game back.
"They have something we want," Dolphins cornerback Patrick Surtain said. "We want to get where they were last year."
Surtain led a resurgent defense that rebounded from a 48-30 loss at Kansas City a week ago. Miami took a 16-0 lead in the first half, when New England totaled just 26 yards and committed two turnovers, and the Dolphins finished with a 20-minute advantage in time of possession.
Williams lost a fumble for the second week in a row but topped 100 yards rushing for the fourth time in five games. He gained 105 tough yards on 36 carries, a team regular-season record.
Jay Fiedler threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, all on third down.
"We were embarrassed last week with what happened," Miami coach Dave Wannstedt said. "To see our team bounce back in every phase was rewarding."
The Patriots fell to 0-13 in Miami in September and October. They can take some consolation that yesterday's loss was similar to a 30-10 drubbing in Miami a year ago, when Brady threw for just 86 yards. The Patriots recovered from that defeat and went on to win the Super Bowl.
