Dolphins will attempt to do something they haven’t done in a decade. That’s beat the Patriots in their own house. That’s why I have this as a highlighted game this year. I don’t think it’s gonna happen this year, unfortunately. There are just too many factors to consider.

Tannehill needs to continue to perform well. Tannehill is coming off his best game of the season. You hope he can get time to throw the ball. One thing he cannot be is the leading rusher for this team. That can’t happen this week.

Run the ball. Gase has decided so far to use the backs by committee instead of relying on one feature back.  After the first game, it hasn’t really worked well because for the last 2 games Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill has been our leading rusher. I love watching Tannehill run but we can’t put him in a bad spot like that every game. It’s a recipe for disaster! I say, it’s time to give rookie RB Kalen Ballage a shot. Patriots won’t see it coming.

Continue to produce with explosive plays. Dolphins put on a show for us last week against the Raiders but if we have to rely on 2 rookie TE’s for the Patriots game, that’s a problem. The receivers are going to have to help Tannehill out and come up with some big plays.

Score in the red zone. For the last 2 weeks, the Dolphins have gotten better in the redzone. However, Dolphins TE A.J. Derby is hurt. If he can’t go, that puts a lot of pressure on rookie TE Mike Gesiki who has pretty much been a non-factor to this point to perform well. Patriots will definitely try to exploit that match-up.

Defense needs to have its best game of the season. Even with William Hayes out for the season, I say there are still enough weapons on the defensive line for the pass-rush to be dominant. It’s the back 7 that has me worried. Not a lot but a little. Dolphins are allowing a respectable 89 yards average on the ground. But, here’s the thing, the Patriots are averaging 98 yards on the ground through 3 games. Furthermore, the Dolphins are allowing a whopping 300 yards on average in the air against opposing QBs so far this season and that’s against qbs who aren’t even close to Patriots QB Tom Brady’s caliber. Bottom-line, the defense is going to have its hands full all game trying to contain the run and I fully expect Brady to take advantage of our young secondary early on.

Can never exclude special teams. With this game being such a defensive match-up, don’t be surprised if the game falls on the rookie kicker.

My Final Score Prediction: Patriots win 14-11. I’m giving the advantage to the Patriots. They’re at home. All it takes is one win for them to get back to .500. It’s going to be a dogfight. But, I love defensive match-ups as much as I love high scoring games maybe even more. The only way I see the Dolphins winning this game is if Ryan Tannehill gets protection from his o-line. The last division rivalry game, mind you, on the road as well, that didn’t happen.

 

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