Connect with us
Home » news » week 8 preview dolphins at patriots

News

Week 8 Preview: Dolphins at Patriots

Published

on

The Sports Xchange

Miami Dolphins (3-3) at New England Patriots (6-0)

Thursday, 8:25 p.m. ET, at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass. – TV: CBS

*TV announcers: Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Tracy Wolfson

*Keys to the game: There’s no question the Dolphins have bottled whatever magic energy interim coach Dan Campbell has brought to the table. But blitzing Tennessee and Houston are one thing – traveling to New England on a short week and upending the Patriots, who have twice as many victories as the Titans and Texans combined, is the real litmus test.

Miami’s turnaround has been built on harder running from Lamar Miller, setting the table for more advantageous situations for QB Ryan Tannehill, who has six touchdown passes over the past two weeks. He has also been sacked six times over that span and 16 times through six games as the offensive line continues to be a sore spot. The Patriots do allow 4.5 yards per carry, so Miller must take advantage with positive yardage on first and second down and help Miami extend drives and protect its defense.

As well as QB Tom Brady is playing, part of the difficulty in defending the Patriots is trying to determine what to prepare for. Brady led the team with 15 rushing yards last week, but look for RB LeGarrette Blount to be a big factor this week against the Dolphins’ 30th-ranked run defense. New England also uses its short passing game as an extension of the ground attack, putting immense pressure on Miami’s pre-snap reads and tackling.

*Matchup to watch – Dolphins RDE Olivier Vernon vs. Patriots LT Sebastian Vollmer: Vollmer is starting in place of the injured Nate Solder. Vernon is one of several Dolphins d-linemen underperforming, registering just one sack and eight tackles through six games with no turnovers forced.

*Player spotlight – Dolphins WR Rishard Matthews: One of the unheralded breakout stars through seven weeks, Matthews has 26 receptions for 438 yards and has already matched his career total entering the season with four touchdowns. He caught all three targets last week for 75 yards and a 53-yard touchdown.

*Fast facts: Tannehill has thrown multiple touchdowns in five consecutive games. … The Patriots are 6-0 for the third time in franchise history (2004, ’07). … Brady has thrown multiple TD passes in six straight games and is 8-0 on Thursday nights with 20 TDs, two INTs and a 112 passer rating.

WHO WILL WIN AND WHY

The Dolphins are playing with fire under interim coach Dan Campbell and finally resembling the contender most expected to see after another high-profile offseason. But the deficiencies we saw under fired Joe Philbin were rooted in legit areas of concern, and the Patriots will be motivated to stomp out an upstart divisional foe.

*Our pick: Patriots 34-23

Since 1987, the Sports Xchange has been the best source of information and analysis for the top professionals in the sports publishing & information business

News

Buccaneers admit mistake, boot Aguayo

Published

on

In the NFL, it’s always better to admit a mistake than to compound it. For the Buccaneers, the decision to burn a 2016 second-round pick on kicker Robert Aguayo has proven to be a mistake. The Buccaneers made the definitive admission of their error on Saturday, cutting Aguayo. He exits with $428,000 in fully-guaranteed salary [more]

Source: Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk

Powered by WPeMatico

Continue Reading

News

Did Bucs put too much pressure on Aguayo?

Published

on

After the Buccaneers surprised everyone by taking a kicker with the 59th overall pick in the draft, G.M. Jason Licht explained the move by heaping superlatives on the player. “I was very excited along with my staff and coaches about Roberto for a very long time,” Licht told PFT Live in May 2016. “It’s not [more]

Source: Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk

Powered by WPeMatico

Continue Reading

News

Broncos holding their breath on Derek Wolfe

Published

on

Only two days after losing Billy Winn for the year with a torn ACL, the Broncos are now sweating out another potentially serious injury along the defensive line. Via multiple reports, Broncos defensive lineman Derek Wolfe was carted off the field during practice on Saturday. It’s being described as a right ankle injury by coach [more]

Source: Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk

Powered by WPeMatico

Continue Reading

The NFL On Twitter


Insiders On Facebook

Trending Now

Copyright © 2021 Insider Sports, Inc