FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Ryan Fitzpatrick tossed a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mike Gesicki with 24 seconds remaining to lead the Miami Dolphins to a 27-24 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday.
The loss denied the defending Super Bowl champions a first-round bye in the playoffs.
It is the second straight season the Dolphins have denied the Patriots an unbeaten division record. This year, the Dolphins also denied the Patriots the 2-seed. After ending the season at No. 3 in the AFC, the Patriots will now play the Titans in the wild-card round on Saturday.
New England will be playing on the opening weekend of the postseason for the first time since 2009. The franchise has never won a Super Bowl when having to play a wild-card game.
The Patriots won their first eight games of the season but went 4-4 in their last eight games to fall behind the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC.
The Patriots will now face the Tennessee Titans in Foxborough on Saturday, Jan. 4. The game is set to kick off at 8:15 p.m.
