Patriots
The Patriots are looking to snap their five-game losing streak to the Dolphins in Miami.
The Patriots stare down the possibility of dropping to 0-2 for the second time in three years as they have a matchup that’s been historically difficult for them on Sunday.
Ahead of their Week 2 game against the Dolphins, the Patriots have lost their last five games in Miami. Before the losing streak, New England went 8-10 in the 18 starts Tom Brady made in Miami when he was its quarterback.
As the Patriots try to find out why Miami has been such a difficult place for them, here are five things to know about this iteration of the Dolphins ahead of Sunday’s game.
They seem to be in a state of turmoil.
We’re only one week into the NFL season, and things already aren’t going well in Miami.
After missing the playoffs last season, head coach Mike McDaniel was able to fend off hot seat rumors and remain in his post with the Dolphins. However, for much of the offseason, questions lingered about just how safe his job was.
Well, McDaniel might have firmly put himself back on the hot seat on Sunday. The Dolphins were blown out by the Colts, 33-8, in a game that was never competitive. Daniel Jones, who was dumped by the Giants in the middle of the 2024 season, lit up the Dolphins’ defense, throwing for 272 yards.
The blowout loss led to Miami having a players-only meeting on Tuesday.
“Just stay locked in,” Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks said of the message in the media. “Losing the way we did Week 1 can be discouraging. Outside noise, people talking, fans talking, family talking, whoever — everybody’s talking. But just kind of making sure that everybody’s together. When you lose like that, it’s easy for people to get discouraged and start looking, questioning maybe yourself or others.
“So, just making sure that we all lock back in and making sure that the belief is still there. You lose belief, you don’t have nothing. So, making sure that everybody is still on the same page, come back next week stronger.”
Maybe the Dolphins will lock back in when they take on the Patriots, but having to send the message out after one game isn’t ideal.
Tyreek Hill hasn’t played up to his usual standard for a bit.
Part of the reason why the Dolphins were one of the most dangerous teams in the AFC was due to Hill. In fact, in 2023, there was a point relatively late in the season where he was on pace to set the single-season receiving yards record.
But as Miami collapsed at the end of that year, Hill hasn’t been the same player since then. Thanks to injuries to Tua Tagovailoa last season, he’s only had three games in which he’s recorded at least 100 receiving yards since Week 13 of the 2023 season.
In fact, Hill hasn’t had a catch of over 30 yards since Week 1 of the 2024 season, which was something he expressed his displeasure over this week.
“You trying to piss me off today,” Hill said when asked this week about his lack of big receptions over the last year. “I don’t know. I don’t know. I’m just grateful to be here. I love my job. It’ll come. This week, we’ve got a great opportunity to go out there and make some plays.”
The Patriots have actually had some success slowing down the six-time All-Pro in the past. Hill’s recorded 78 receiving yards per game against the Patriots over 11 meetings in his career, slightly down from the number he averaged between 2017-23 (84).
However, cornerback Jonathan Jones was typically tasked with covering Hill and the Patriots let him walk in free agency this offseason. Christian Gonzalez’s injury could also allow Hill to get back on track in Week 2.
Tua Tagovailoa is undefeated against the Patriots.
While it might feel like everything might be crumbling around the Dolphins, it does feel like they have a strong opportunity to dig out of their mess on Sunday.
Well, that’s what the recent history between these two teams suggests. Tagovailoa has won all seven starts that he’s made against the Patriots since the Dolphins took him with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Tagovailoa’s per-game stats against the Patriots might not look impressive at first blush. He’s averaging 231 passing and less than two passing touchdowns per game (1.57) in his career against New England.
But Tagovailoa has been efficient against the Patriots. He’s completed 69 percent of his passes and has thrown just four interceptions in those seven games. He’s also posted an average yards per attempt of 7.9 in three of his four meetings against the Patriots since Mike McDaniel became the Dolphins’ head coach in 2022.
Their running back has the potential to be dangerous.
In McDaniel’s first two seasons in Miami, the Dolphins seemed to gain a reputation for being one of the most prolific passing attacks in the league. But they also had a pretty strong ground attack in that season, too.
In fact, De’Von Achane is statistically one of the best running backs ever if you strictly go by yards per carry. The third-year running back has averaged 5.6 yards per carry in his career, which would be the second-most ever for a running back if he had enough carries to qualify.
Last season, Achane really began to emerge as one of the best running backs in the passing game as well. His 78 receptions, 592 receiving yards, and six receiving touchdowns either led all running backs or were tied for the most among players at the position.
The Patriots were actually able to keep Achane in check last season, though. He only had 73 total yards over the two matchups against New England.
Their secondary isn’t great, but they’ve got some talented pass rushers.
The Dolphins’ first game after trading Jalen Ramsey didn’t go well, with Daniel Jones lighting them up last week. Ramsey’s exit wasn’t the only departure in the Dolphins’ secondary this offseason, though, as they only have two corners on their active roster from last year’s team, with injuries causing them to make adds at the position in August.
So, Drake Maye and the Patriots might have an opportunity to have a big day in the passing game — if they can block the Dolphins’ defensive front. Miami has a handful of players in its defensive front with a lot of upside.
Bradley Chubb, for instance, has been a consistent force since his days with the Broncos, recording 11 sacks in 2023 before missing the entire 2024 season due to an ACL tear. He had a sack in his return last week.
Jaelan Phillips, a 2021 first-round pick, had 22 sacks in his first 42 career games before an Achilles tear ended his 2023 season prematurely and caused him to miss most of the 2024 campaign. Chop Robinson, who the Dolphins took in the first round of the 2024 draft, had six sacks last year.
Defensive tackle Zach Sieler is coming off back-to-back 10-sack seasons as well. His 46 pressures also ranked 14th among all defensive linemen.
So, the Patriots’ new-look offensive line has another tough test ahead of them in Week 2. Will they be up for the challenge? That could determine if they get their first win of the season or fall to 0-2.
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