Dolphins vs. Patriots Week 2 Predictions and Keys to the Game
After what is arguably the worst performance of any team in Week 1 of the NFL season, the Miami Dolphins will look to turn things around as they host the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium. My prediction from last week was… terrible to say the least.
But hey, it was just week 1.
Here’s to hoping that getting absolutely embarrassed by the Colts and losing 33-8 will be enough to light a fire under this team. The Patriots are coming off a disappointing loss of their own in their home opener, losing by a touchdown after being favored by 2.5 points before kickoff. Here are two keys for Miami to avoid another disastrous loss.
Get Defense Back on Track
According to ESPN research, the Colts became the first NFL team since 1977 to score on every single offensive possession—no punts, no turnovers. This was 48 years ago, when Jimmy Carter became president. While it is highly unlikely that the Patriots will perform on that level, there is still reason to be cautious against a New England team that made it very clear that they want to air it out this year.
2nd-year quarterback Drake Maye threw the ball 46 times in Week 1, and the Pats only ran the ball 18 times. Additionally, the Dolphins gave up two rushing touchdowns to the Colts' quarterback Daniel Jones, so they must keep an eye on Drake Maye once he gets outside the pocket.
The Dolphins did surprisingly well at stopping Jonathan Taylor last week, holding him to only 3.9 yards per carry and keeping him out of the end zone. Considering that the New England RB room looked underwhelming last week, I would expect the Patriots to continue to lean into the passing game this week. Guys like Kayshon Boutte (103 yards) and Hunter Henry (66 yards) will look to build off of a productive Week 1.
Turnover Ratio
If there is any silver lining to Week 1 for the Dolphins, it is that they only punted the ball once. You might wonder how this is possible when they only scored 8 points. In addition to a turnover on downs, Miami had three turnovers at the hands of returning QB Tua Tagovailoa. He threw two horrible interceptions and also lost a fumble. All of this happened while the defense did not force one turnover.
I expect the Dolphins to establish the short passing game early and try to help Tua. This is something they couldn’t do last week since they were playing from behind the whole game.
Especially with the news that right guard James Daniels is being placed on IR, and that right tackle Austin Jackson’s status for this game is up in the air, look for the Dolphins to center their game plan around helping Tua get the ball out of his hands as quickly as possible.
Prediction
Historically, the Dolphins have always done well at home against New England, even during the Brady era. They have won 5 in a row, and Tua is 7-0 against the Patriots all-time per StatMuse. I want to say the Dolphins turn it around this week and get the W, but I just don’t see it happening. Both sides of the ball figure it out a bit, and it’s closer than last week, but the Dolphins fall to 0-2.
Patriots 24, Dolphins 20