Would it be overstating it that that was the biggest win the Patriots have had in three years? I think not.

They’re not Super Bowl-bound. They’re not even second week of the playoffs-bound because of one win in September. But to get a win on the road, in a place where they almost always struggle, with every part of the team contributing, and without Randy Moss getting a single catch and/or Wes Welker being a huge factor, is very big for the development of these New England Patriots.

Offense, defense, special teams, all of them had a hand in this one. And you’ve got to love the factoid ESPN posted about the Patriots being the first team ever to score a rushing touchdown, passing TD and on kickoff, blocked field goal and interception returns. That’s 2001 Patriots kind of stuff right there.

Again, I don’t want to get too giddy over this win. Indeed, the Dolphins, and Chad Henne in particular, contributed mightily to this ‘W’. They absolutely killed themselves going to the wildcat on third down on their first sereis. That probably cost them at least three points. Henne’s two INTs to Rob Ninkovich were Cleo Lemon-esque. And what’s the deal with Tony Sparano going Corey Hart with the sungalsses?

The defense gave up yardage in big chunks in the first half, but they were finally in a bend-don’t-break mode. The pressure on Henne was pretty decent (mark my words, you’ll be hearing the name Jermaine Cunningham more frequently soon. He’s been this close to getting a sack numerous times the last couple of weeks). They only had two sacks, but he made several throws with someone in his grill, and that probably helped in making Brandon Marshall, everyone’s biggest concern headed into the game, a non-factor..

Rob Ninkovich and Jerod Mayo had big games, but Pat Chung was the defensive MVP, as he has been all season. More importantly, outside of the first half of the Bengals game, this is the first time Pats fans can leave a game feeling the defense has something to build off of, and with a bye week coming up next that’s pretty good.

The offense was brutal in the first half. No way around that. The Dolphins weren’t giving them anything deep and the play-calling was pretty vanilla as a result. But I like what they did with their few opporunties in the second half (thanks mostly to the special teams). My crush on BenJarvus Green-Ellis just grows every game. Channeling Jon Gruden, I would say this guy gets the most out of every carry. And Danny Woodhead may not be Kevin Faulk, but he’s about as good a facsimile as the Patriots could have picked up off the scrap heap mid-season. Just please stop comparing him to other short white guys, okay broadcasters?

But tonight’s “Wow” factor was the special teams. Brandon Tate is a major weapon in the kick return, a facet of the game the Pats have been very mediocre in the last couple of years (Matt Slater anyone?). Sammy Morris’ block on the kick return TD is yet another example of why I think he’s the most underrated player on the team. The blocked punt and field goal were reminiscent of the 2001 Patriots (a certain kicker aside, everyone overlooks the special teams contributions to the 2001 title).

Yet perhaps the biggest thing I took out of this game is that the Patriots won and won big on the road with Randy Moss being a non-factor and Wes Welker playing only a minor role. Tom Brady didn’t force a single pass to either one.

I’m not one to bash Moss. He should have caught the fake spike pass, simple as that. And his ole “block” on one of the screens to I believe it was Welker was terrible. I want to make one thing clear: I’ve said before that I don’t want the Pats to re-sign him, but it was because I believe Brady and the offense have been too pre-0ccupied with keeping him happy. It’s had nothing to do with what Moss brings to the offense or his effort. If Brady and the offense continue to show they’re willing to win without constantly trying to placate him, and if Moss shows he’s willing to accept that there are times where they simply can’t get him the ball, then I’m all in favor of bringing him back.

Want another reason why this was a big win? Bill Belichick was positively giddy about it. You could just tell by the way he was shaking hands on the sideline late in the fourth quarter and the way he was answering questions in his post-game press conference. I mean, he was actually giving semi-insightful answers while using more than five or six words. He knows they crossed a major bridge with this one.

The Patriots have an absolutely brutal stretch upcoming on the schedule — Baltimore, at San Diego, Minnesota, at Cleveland (second bye week), at Pittsburgh, Indianapolis (so does Miami, btw. Man, they’re in serious trouble). But they have something to build on going into the bye week — 3-1 overall, 2-1 in the division, a huge win on the road that every part of the team played a part in, relatively good health, and. oh yeah, does anybody really miss Logan Mankins?

There are still some frustrating times ahead. Count on it. But the next 13 days are going to be a helluva lot more pleasant than the last two weeks.