FOXBOROUGH – The New England Patriots' playoff hopes stayed alive when they defeated the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, winning 23-21 to improve to 8-8 and help them control their own destiny going into the final week of the season.

Here are the Patriots' four-biggest heroes from their win.

Kyle Dugger

The third-year safety's stellar second half of the season continued on Sunday when he made the biggest play of the game.

On a third-and-15 for the Dolphins, Dugger perfectly read Teddy Bridgewater's pass over the middle to Trent Sherfield, hopping in front of the receiver to make the interception. He wasn't done there though as he perfectly read Miami's offense when it turned to playing defense, scissoring his way through the open gaps before stiff-farming Teddy Bridgewater to get into the end zone for the 39-yard pick-6.

Not only was it a spectacular play, but it also came at a pivotal moment for the Patriots, too. Their offense went cold over the middle two quarters, scoring just a field goal after an opening drive touchdown. Trailing 14-10 at that point in the third quarter, it certainly didn't seem like it was a guarantee that the Patriots were going to score another touchdown needed to win the game. For Dugger, it was his third defensive touchdown of the season. It was also the Patriots' defense's seventh touchdown of the season and their fourth straight game with a defensive touchdown.

Patriots safety Devin McCourty mentioned that the unit's mindset has turned from not just getting a turnover, but looking to make a play once they make the turnover. Dugger, who was a punt returner during his college days at Lenoir-Rhyme, certainly seems to know what to do with the ball in addition to playing well in coverage and working as a run defender, recording two stops on Sunday.

Jakobi Meyers

If Dugger was the Patriots' most important player on Sunday, then Meyers was their most clutch.

The Patriots' leading receiver only had four receptions for 22 yards entering their penultimate drive on Sunday. Meyers' number was called at that moment and he responded in a big way.

On a third-and-5 from the Patriots' own 32-yard line, Meyers got open on a seam route out of the backfield, beating multiple Dolphins defenders down the field. Mac Jones perfectly placed the ball through the Miami defenders to get a 25-yard gain and the first down. Five plays later, Meyers beat Keion Crossen on a go route along the sideline on another third-and-5. Jones' pass wasn't the best on that play, but Meyers was able to draw a pass interference on Crossen because he already had him beat, setting the Patriots up at the Dolphins' 5-yard line.

New England looked like it was going to have another disastrous red zone drive when it failed to score from the 5-yard line on its first two plays. After a timeout though, Meyers looked over at Jones prior to snapping the ball at third-and-goal from the 1-yard line to let him know that he had a linebacker on him. Jones saw and threw Meyers a fade pass into the end zone that the receiver was able to grab to extend the Patriots' lead to 23-14 with only a few minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Meyers didn't finish with the best stat line on Sunday by posting six receptions for 48 yards. But he showed his worth as Jones' most dependable receiver, making three big plays in the clutch that helped the Patriots score the game-deciding touchdown.

Christian Barmore

A knee injury cost the second-year defensive tackle seven games earlier this season and prevented him from having the breakout he was hoping for. But on Sunday, Christian Barmore showed that he might be emerging as a star player.

Barmore recorded a whopping seven pressures from the interior, getting three hurries, three hits and a sack in the Patriots win.

It was in the second half when Barmore appeared to reach another gear. Barmore was chasing Bridgewater just moments following the snap on a second-and-goal play from the 2-yard line, getting the Dolphins quarterback in his grasp. As Barmore was bringing Bridgewater down, the quarterback flipped the ball to an open Raheem Mostert in the end zone for the third-quarter touchdown. While the play obviously netted a bad result for the Patriots, it was a sign that Barmore could still affect plays in a positive way.

Barmore affected a play in a positive way that netted a positive result for the Patriots in the fourth quarter. Right after they took a 23-14 lead, Miami looked poised to at least move the ball into New England territory. But on third-and-10, Barmore sacked Skylar Thompson (who replaced an injured Bridgewater at that point) to force a six-yard loss. A play later, the Dolphins turned the ball over on downs as a result of Barmore's sack.

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If Christian Barmore can continue to either get sacks or just alter how the quarterback throws with his pressure, New England would have three viable pass rushers as it's already got the league's leading sack duo (Matthew Judon and Josh Uche) on the edges.

Mac Jones

Mac Jones admittedly didn't play well in the middle two quarters of Sunday's game, but he made the throws when they mattered the most.

On the opening drive, Jones hit rookie Tyquan Thornton for a 24-yard gain that helped the Patriots get into Dolphins territory. Later on that drive, Jones hit Thornton again on an outside route for a seven-yard touchdown pass on third-and-6, throwing the ball on the money to allow the rookie to get inside the pylon.

Mac Jones bookended his day by completing 5-of-7 passes for 51 yards with a touchdown on the Patriots' penultimate drive, making the throws needed to Meyers in order to give the Patriots the necessary separation in order to win Sunday's game.

Like Meyers, Jones didn't finish with the best stat line, either. He completed 20-of-33 passes for 203 yards with two touchdowns for a 98.4 passer rating. But the big thing was that he played clean football again. He didn't throw an interception for the seventh time in eight games while making the big throws needed to help New England win the game and keep its playoff hopes alive.