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What went right: The defense played solid throughout the afternoon, and forced a turnover on a strip sack of rookie Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehiil. It also yielded just 277 yards of total offense to Miami on the day. The offense came up with a 7-minute, 18-second drive late in the fourth quarter to set up a field goal from Stephen Gostkowski that put the team up by 10 and the game largely out of reach. Wes Welker led the way with 12 catches for 103 yards and a touchdown. On special teams, wide receiver Matthew Slater stood out and earned praise from head coach Bill Belichick.

What didn’t: The Patriots had their quietest day offensively in 2012, racking up “just” 321 yards of total offense. The running game struggled for much of the day, but came together on the final drive of the game. Receiver Brandon Lloyd was targeted just once in the game, and the offensive line yielded four sacks of Brady. Right tackle Sebastian Vollmer had some struggles against defensive end Cameron Wake. Gostskowski missed a field goal.

Rookie lineman Justin Francis played a season-high 47 snaps as he’s really coming on. He drew a holding penalty in run support, but also looked to be the 11th player who didn’t come on to the field on the one play the Patriots had just 10 on the field. … On the interior of the defensive line, Brandon Deaderick is making his mark in recent weeks. He’s played 141 snaps over the last three games. In the first 12 games of the season, he played 197. His rise has trimmed back Kyle Love’s playing time.