Miami Dolphins versus New England Patriots: Preview

bleacherreport.com

This week, the 7-6 Miami Dolphins will travel up to Foxboro to take on the 10-3 New England Patriots. These two teams met in the season opener and the Dolphins handed the Patriots a very surprising loss. In that game the Patriots offensive line couldn’t seem to control Cameron Wake and the Dolphins pass rush. Tom Brady was strip sacked twice and was only able to complete 52% of his passes for 250 yards and a touchdown.

On the defensive side, they allowed Knowshon Moreno to rush for 134 yards and touchdown. They also surrendered 88 yards and a touchdown to Mike Wallace. That’s his highest yardage total of the season. It seems like the Patriots are completely outmatched, but a lot has changed since then.

Since that game the Patriots have become one of the most dangerous teams in football, boasting a defense that is as scary as any in the league. They also have an offense that, despite their lack of weapons, gets it done. The Patriots finally have Chandler Jones and Dont’a Hightower back together. They also have Brandon Browner, who they didn’t have in week one. Their defense isn’t looking to be the problem.

Last week in San Diego, the defense made plenty of crucial stops to keep them in the game. The real problem, is the static offense. It can’t seem to get anything going right now. That is mostly due to the offensive line, which was their biggest problem in week one. It seems like Brady never has any time to throw anymore, and with an edge rusher like Cameron Wake coming at you, it’s not going to get any better. They need the pass protection to step up if they are going to win.

They will also need their run game to step up again. Last week, despite getting 20 carries, Blount was only able to average 3.3 yards per carry. Vereen’s health leaves him questionable, but if he is healthy they can look to get him involved in the passing game. If Blount isn’t playing well, they may even look to get Jonas Gray involved again. If the Dolphins can bring the same intensity that they did in week one, then they definitely have a chance, but I don’t see the Patriots losing twice to an AFC East competitor. Especially when they have the chance to clinch the AFC East with a win today. It should be a fun game to watch, like it always in a divisional matchup.