On a day when a victory would give the Patriots their third consecutive AFC East title, nothing seemed to go right for the Patriots as the Dolphins outplayed the Patriots to split the season series and give New England their first shutout since 2003, defeating the Patriots 21-0.  The first half was a defensive struggle with the only points coming from Olindo Mare, in the form of a 35-yard and a 33-yard field goal.  Even the punter, Donnie Jones, gave the Patriots issues as multiple punts resulted in the offensive unit starting within the five-yard line.  The furthest the Patriots drove into Dolphin territory was in the third quarter with the Dolphins leading 13-0.  Ending with a would-be touchdown reception by Watson, a play consisting of a lateral from Faulk to Brady was ruled penalty, as Faulk's lateral was an illegal forward pass. On the following possession, Matt Cassel took over the offense, but he too succumbed to the Dolphin defense and was sacked, fumbling the ball.  The Dolphins marched within the New England 10-yard line again but knelt to burn out the clock.  The loss gave the Patriots a 4-2 division record and 9-4 record overall.. Who threw an illegal forward pass?