• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Taylor, Dolphins hand Patriots first shutout since 2003

Dec 10, 2006 - 9:16 PM MIAMI (Ticker) -- Jason Taylor and the Miami Dolphins sent the "Brady Bunch" to its worst rating in more than three years.

Taylor and Yeremiah Bell led a defensive assault on Tom Brady, while Joey Harrington and Sammy Morris managed the Dolphins' offense to a 21-0 victory over the New England Patriots in a battle of division rivals.

With a chance to clinch a fourth straight AFC East Division title with a win and a loss by the New York Jets, the Patriots (9-4) were shut out for the first time since a 31-0 blanking against Buffalo on September 7, 2003.

"There's no doubt who the better team was today," New England coach Bill Belichick said. "They were better in all three areas of the game. I give them a lot of credit. ... Nobody on our team had a good day."

When Brady is pulled late in the fourth quarter, it's usually a sign that New England has wrapped up a victory. But that was not the case Sunday as the two-time Super Bowl MVP endured a nightmare afternoon, completing 12-of-25 passes for only 78 yards. He was sacked five times and lost one of his two fumbles.

"I've never seen Brady so frustrated," Dolphins defensive end Vonnie Holliday said. "I've never seen him get hit so many times."

"If you get Brady off his game you can beat the Patriots," linebacker Channing Crowder added. "You could see he was getting frustrated."

One of the league's top defensive ends, Taylor led the charge with six tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. Afterwards, Belichick had nothing but praise for the five-time Pro Bowler.

"He's the best player we've played against all year," Belichick said. "We haven't played everyone, so I can't speak about him being the best overall. He's a helluva player. Everyone looks for him, but he continues to make big plays and cause turnovers. He's outstanding."

Bell also had a strong game from the safety position with nine tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. The Dolphins posted their first shutout since a 23-0 win against Seattle on September 3, 2000.

"It's one thing to beat them, it's another thing to shut them out and play like we did," Crowder said. "It's a great win."

With Miami holding a 6-0 lead late in the third quarter, Harrington hooked up with Marty Booker for a 32-yard touchdown. Harrington finished 18-of-30 for 190 yards without a turnover, while Booker caught eight passes for 103 yards.

Morris dove in for a three-yard TD with 4:56 left to cap the scoring. He rushed for 123 yards on 25 carries and also had two receptions for 39 yards.

"Despite our record, we are very confident in what we can do and if we play our game, it's just a matter of time," Morris said. "I'm sorry we didn't play this well early in the season, but it is what it is and we need to finish strong."

The Dolphins (6-7) have won five of their last six games. They had lost six of their last eight meetings with the Patriots, including a 20-10 setback on October 8.

"We didn't do enough of a job in any part of the game, but you also have to give Miami credit," New England defensive end Richard Seymour said. "They did what they have to do. I'm not going to make excuses about this one. They did what they had to do, and we were on the opposite end of that. We just flat out took one on the chin."