NFL Tickets
TV Schedule: Thursday, Oct. 29, 8 p.m. on CBS.
Stadium: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass
Line: New England (-7.5)
Thus far, the New England Patriots’ revenge tour has been a pretty successful. Tom Brady has come out and had one of the best starts of his career. Brady has looked five years younger this season, and he definitely looks poised to bring the team on a deep playoff run this season. The scary thing is that the offense is only scratching the surface of how good they can possibly be.
The team’s receivers have been banged up, but they finally got Brandon LaFell back last week, and though he performed poorly, he’ll only get better with more reps. Julian Edelman has a badly dislocated finger, and once that heals, he’ll be better as well. For the upcoming game against the Miami Dolphins, Brady will likely heavily rely on Rob Gronkowski to do a lot of damage against the team. Danny Amendola will also play a role, but Gronk is in for a huge game on Thursday night.
It’s not exactly clear how they will utilize their rushing attack it this week. Against the New York Jets on Sunday, Bill Belichick only ran the ball five times, as he was intent on beating them through the air. Though the game plan wasn’t a good one, it did end up working, as Brady picked apart the Jets’ solid defense.
For the game against the Dolphins, the Patriots will need to run the ball more, as the Dolphins’ run defense has been the third worst in the league to start the season. Because of this, I would expect the Patriots to use a heavy dose of LeGarrette Blount and Dion Lewis (if he’s healthy). The two could combine to have a huge day if given the opportunity to carry the ball.
As for the Dolphins, they are on a two-game tear in which they beat up on a couple of bad teams. The offense has looked inspired under interim head coach Dan Campbell, and it’s made it even clearer that Joe Philbin was not the right fit for the franchise. The real catalyst for the reemergence of the Dolphins has been their improved running game.
Lamar Miller has been on fire in the last two games, and he has rushed for 288 yards combined in their wins. Miller is looking as explosive as ever, and since Campbell seems intent on making him a major part of the offense, he’ll only continue to get better. The improved offensive line also has made a difference, as Branden Albert returned from injury to give the unit a major boost. Miller will be heavily featured against the Patriots’ mediocre run defense, and that may be what ultimately keeps them in the game.
In the passing game, Ryan Tannehill will likely fare well against the Patriots, and he is going to have to expose the weakness that the Patriots have across from Malcolm Butler. The team has a lot of solid corners combining to play the No. 2 corner position, but none have been overly impressive. If Butler is put up against Jarvis Landry, Tannehill will have to throw to Rishard Matthews a lot, as he’ll be more likely to get open. Tannehill’s performance against the Patriots’ corner will likely be a decisive factor for the team.
The other important battle for the team will be against the Patriots’ offensive line. The line is without two offensive tackles, Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon, and if they don’t play, the Dolphins are going to be able to pressure Brady. If the team, and Ndamukong Suh, can get pressure on Brady and disrupt his throws, then the Dolphins may have a chance to win against the defending champions.
When it’s all said and done, the Patriots should be favored in this game. Though the Dolphins are well rested after they demolished the Houston Texans, the team simply doesn’t have enough to compete with the Patriots. The final score will be close, but expect the Patriots to improve into 7-0.
Prediction: Patriots 27, Dolphins 23
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