1-2 punch: Watson, Wilfork get KO'd

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Already without six injured players, the Patriots finished yesterday's game without two more key contributors -- tight end Benjamin Watson and nose tackle Vince Wilfork.

Watson injured his left leg when he was crunched between Dolphins defenders Renaldo Hill and Jason Allen on a long pass play over the middle in the third quarter. Two plays later, Wilfork hurt his right leg on a 4-yard run by Sammy Morris.

Neither player returned to action. Watson and Wilfork walked through the locker room after the game, with Wilfork limping.

Watson is the Patriots' leading receiver, with 49 catches. His absence meant the team was playing without its top pass-catcher and its top rusher, as rookie Laurence Maroney (back) didn't make the trip.

Rookie David Thomas took Watson's spot, lining up for 11 snaps in the second half. With Wilfork out, the Patriots turned to second-year player Mike Wright at the heart of their defense. Wilfork entered the game having been credited by coaches with 75 tackles and was a central piece in helping the Patriots to a No. 3 ranking in run defense (82.7 yards per game).

"He's one of our key players on defense, especially on the D-line," said lineman Jarvis Green. "It was tough, but we have to go out there and continue to play football."

Ellis Hobbs opened the season as a starter at cornerback, playing three games before moving into a reserve role for four games, seemingly because of an injured wrist. Hobbs had been in the starting lineup the last four games but was back in a reserve role yesterday. He acknowledged he was surprised.

"Am I disappointed in it? Obviously. But you have to be a professional about it," said Hobbs. "Far be it for me to sit here and argue, because we have bigger things to worry about. We lost."

Hobbs is still playing with a cast on his left wrist but didn't think the decision was based on his health. Hobbs played gunner on punt coverage yesterday, and entered at cornerback midway through the fourth quarter in place of Asante Samuel. Veteran Chad Scott started in Hobbs's place, making his eighth start of the year (seven at corner, one at safety).

The Patriots went deep into the playbook for a fourth-quarter play in which running back Kevin Faulk took a direct snap out of the shotgun and ran to his right, then threw a forward pass to quarterback Tom Brady, who then fired downfield to tight end Daniel Graham for a touchdown. But the play was nullified by penalty because there were two forward passes on the play.

The Patriots didn't lose a down, however, because Brady's pass to Graham came from behind the line of scrimmage.

Asked how concerned he was with his team's performance in recent weeks, Patriots coach Bill Belichick chose to look at the big picture.

"We're 9-4. There are a lot of teams who would like to have that record," he said. "There are some that wouldn't, but there are quite a few that would. We'll be judged by the body of work."

With the Jets losing to the Bills yesterday, the Patriots maintain a two-game lead in the AFC East. Defensive lineman Richard Seymour acknowledged that the team "took one on the chin" yesterday.

"Being one of the captains of the ship, we're going to hang together, hang tough," he said. "You have to take the good with the bad. Today we were on the opposite end of it.

"We'll have another opportunity to come out and redeem ourselves next week, and that's the good thing about it."

The Patriots could have clinched the division with a win and a loss by the Jets.

Not including the 2005 season finale, in which he threw just eight passes while tuning up for the playoffs, Brady's 78 yards passing marked his second-lowest output as a starter. His career low is 76, against the Dolphins Oct. 10, 2004 . . . The Patriots opened in a 4-3 defense, with Green starting at end and outside linebacker Tully Banta-Cain on the bench . . . The Patriots were scored upon in the first quarter for the first time in five games . . . Defensive end Ty Warren registered a first-quarter sack to increase his season total to 6 1/2, tying him with outside linebacker Rosevelt Colvin for the team lead . . . Cornerback Ray Mickens, who signed last Monday, played in the slot in the nickel package and felt fine from a conditioning standpoint. "I was just getting back into the flow of things," he said. "I practiced all week playing the nickel." . . . Third-year defensive end Marquise Hill was active for the third time this season . . . The Dolphins had their first shutout since Sept. 3, 2000, and their second in franchise history against the Patriots . . . Rookie defensive lineman Le Kevin Smith, safety Rodney Harrison, Maroney, receiver Chad Jackson, offensive tackle Ryan O'Callaghan, safety Rashad Baker, and linebacker Eric Alexander were inactive. For the fourth straight game, Vinny Testaverde was the emergency quarterback . . . Quarterback Daunte Culpepper, cornerback Eddie Jackson, running back Ronnie Brown, linebacker Keith Newman, defensive tackle Frederick Evans, guard Jeno James, and defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson were inactive for the Dolphins. Marcus Vick was Miami's emergency quarterback . . . The Patriots wore their home blue uniforms for the first time on the road this season. The Dolphins, as they traditionally do, wore white at home.

Christopher L. Gasper of the Globe staff contributed to this report.