Rookie QB Mac Jones, New England Patriots enter…

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The New England Patriots wanted to be playing their best football entering the playoffs. This wasn’t it.

The Patriots lost 33-24 to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium in their regular-season finale. They enter the postseason on a frustrating note — and with rookie quarterback Mac Jones sparking some concern with his recent play.

If the Los Angeles Chargers beat the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday night, the Patriots will be the No. 5 seed and visit the Cincinnati Bengals in the wild-card round. If the Raiders win, the Patriots will be the sixth seed and visit the Buffalo Bills.

Bottom line: If the Patriots play like they did in Miami — traditionally a house of horrors for them — their season will be coming to an end quickly in the playoffs.

They started slow, which has been a problem at various points of the season, allowing the Dolphins an opening-drive touchdown. They were minus-two in the turnover differential, which is never a winning formula — especially when one of those was a pick-six thrown by Jones, who also later lost a fumble.

And they made costly mental mistakes, such as hitting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa late and lining up illegally after forcing a punt, giving the Dolphins a new set of downs.

While a couple of questionable calls didn’t go their way — and contributed to 10 points for the Dolphins — this wasn’t a performance worthy of a victory. Their late comeback attempt was spirited, and reflective of a team that is tough to knock out, but the early hole they dug for themselves was too much to overcome.

Jones finished 20-of-30 for 261 yards and one touchdown with one interception. He was 9-of-9 for 118 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Coach Bill Belichick often talks about emptying the tank each week and then refilling it. The Patriots will now look to do that in the playoffs, despite an uninspiring finale.

Silver lining: When rookie running back Rhamondre Stevenson left the game in the first quarter with a head injury, it had the potential to threaten his availability into the wild-card round of the playoffs. But Stevenson returned to action in the third quarter, which was one of the more significant developments of the day. Barring a setback, the hard-charging Stevenson should be available for the postseason. Left tackle Isaiah Wynn (ankle) and practice-squad-elevated safety Sean Davis (shoulder) didn’t return after suffering injuries.

Stat of note: The Patriots are 1-4 this season when Jones has multiple turnovers. Jones had a season-high three passes batted at the line. He’s had nine passes batted at the line this season, and five came against the Dolphins.

Harris’ TD total: Running back Damien Harris rushed for his 15th touchdown of the season late in the fourth quarter, putting him into lone possession of second place on the Patriots’ single-season record list. LeGarrette Blount’s 18 rushing touchdowns, in 2016, stands as the franchise record.