EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Chris Johnson couldn't have played the down much better.The Miami Dolphins rookie cornerback fought through two sets of blocks on fourth-and-two during Sunday's game against the New England Patriots and tackled wide receiver DeMario Douglas short of the sticks.The Dolphins' offense took the field, clinging to a three-point lead with the momentum of a critical stop behind them -- but it didn't last long.Officials overturned the play, awarding New England the first down; it scored six plays later to take the lead for good.Miami saw a ten-point halftime lead turn to a 24-19 loss to the Patriots, marking another chapter in this team's education. Last week, coach Jeff Hafley's team learned how to win; this week, it learned how quickly a win can slip from its grasp."I thought it was probably the best half that we played all year in the first half in some phases," Hafley said. "We came out and I believe we held them to a three and out. And then those are the opportunities where you got to learn to put people away. And when you let really good teams that have experience and have been through big games, when you let them hang around, that's what happens."It's the first time we've been in that situation. So I think you do a really good job of using this as a teaching moment, as hard as it feels and as much as it hurts, you got to learn from wins and you got to learn from losses and we have to grow from that."As the youngest team in the NFL, the Dolphins have struggled overcoming momentum swings like the one they experienced Sunday. In Week 1, a taunting penalty negated a third-down stop on a drive that ultimately led to points for the Raiders. In Week 3, an illegal shift penalty wiped out a touchdown, and the Dolphins had to settle for a field goal.Even Sunday, the reversed turnover on downs was preceded by a Patriots touchdown that was initially ruled an incomplete pass, followed by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that effectively ended the Dolphins' ensuing drive."We had such momentum after that one fourth-down stop. Those are the swings of the game and I think you have to learn and we all have to learn that that's football," Hafley said. "There's going to be huge momentum shifts in the game ... you've got to learn to just play the next play and you can't get too high, you can't get too low throughout a game."Last week, the Dolphins opened a two-score lead at halftime but found themselves ahead by just three points with three minutes remaining. They were able to stave off the Jets' comeback and hold on for their first win of the season.Safety Dante Trader Jr. said the energy from that win carried over into the first half Sunday, and linebacker Jacob Rodriguez said it fueled their best week of practice to date.The Dolphins fell behind by a field goal in the first half Sunday but responded with 13 unanswered points, including an 11-play, 70-yard touchdown drive to end the first half. Linebacker Jordyn Brooks said the eventual loss will serve as a lesson to remain composed, especially against teams like the defending AFC champion Patriots."We looked fired up in the locker room at halftime, man, everybody was excited," he said. "After playing a great first half, I think we were a little too fired up. An experienced team like the Patriots, who's been there, done that, they just remained calm through the whole thing and just made crucial plays when they needed it, and it was enough for them to win."Even after their lead dissipated, the Dolphins gave themselves a chance Sunday. After allowing three straight touchdown drives in the third and fourth quarters, they forced a punt with four minutes remaining and answered with a 35-yard touchdown pass from Malik Willis to Kevin Coleman Jr.Miami couldn't recover an onside kick attempt and failed to get a stop on third-and-5, allowing New England to kneel out the clock.Hafley said he was proud of his team's resolve while acknowledging its need to learn how to fight for an entire game -- without the lulls it has experienced in the second half of its past two games."It felt like they had us on the ropes," he said. "What I liked at the end of the game was despite everything that we just went through and all the momentum shifts that everybody talked about, for a young team, what was cool to see is we stopped them. We stopped them in four-minute mode and then we scored. So then we get a chance to have an onside kick."So again, the team does show resiliency. It's just we got to learn how to do it for all four quarters."
