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          Patriots' Kyle Dugger scores 39-yard pick-six against Dolphins

          Winslow Townson/Getty Images
          • Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff WriterJan 1, 2023, 03:28 PM ET
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              Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. You can follow Reiss on Twitter at @MikeReiss.
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          FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots' defense delivered again, with safety Kyle Dugger returning an interception 39 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter of Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins.

          The touchdown was the seventh scored by the Patriots' defense this season and the third by Dugger, a 2020 second-round draft pick out of Lenoir-Rhyne. His cutback at the 10-yard line was critical, as he delivered a powerful blow to Dolphins quarterback Teddy Bridgewater en route to the end zone, knocking Bridgewater from the game.

          Dugger's touchdowns have come on two interceptions and one fumble return, tying Don Webb (1961) for the most defensive touchdowns in franchise history.

          The play gave the Patriots a 16-14 lead with 2 minutes, 51 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

          It was the Patriots' fifth interception returned for a touchdown this season, their most in a season since 2003. The Patriots also have a non-offensive touchdown in four straight games, tying the second-longest streak in franchise history (1985). Their longest streak is five, in 1961. It is also the longest streak by any team in a season since the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Weeks 2-5).