Dolphins (8-6) at Patriots (7-8)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
TV: CBS
Tipico 1Sportsbook line:
Dolphins by 1 ⁄2
Dolphins’ keys to victory: Send pressure and watch with glee as Patriots QB Mac Jones tapdances in the pocket. Things seem to fall off a cliff for New England when Jones is forced to react under pressure. The offensive line is a mess, and there’s no burner over the top to scare opposing defenses. The Dolphins offense will need to do a good job of avoiding turnovers to deliver the real knockout blow. This New England team has a habit of hanging around in games.
Patriots’ keys to victory: New England can’t play scared. That should be easy enough considering the Patriots are sitting at 7-8 and outside the playoff picture. If there was ever a time to take off the training wheels and let Jones air it out from start to finish, it would be this game. On defense, the Patriots’ fearsome pass-rushing duo of LBs Matthew Judon and Josh Uche must hit and harass the quarterback. Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa entered the concussion protocols at the start of the week.
Matchup to watch: Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle vs. Patriots CB Marcus Jones. Yes, Tyreek Hill should scare New England, but Waddle scored the only offensive TD for Miami in the first meeting between the teams. There will be
moments when Jones is matched up one-on-one with Waddle. This will be one of the most exciting matchups on the field.
Who wins? The Patriots will continue tripping over their feet against a Dolphins team with too much firepower for them. Then it’ll be back to postgame podium jokes from Miami coach Mike McDaniel and frowns from Bill Belichick.
Dolphins, 24-17