NFL
Miami Dolphins Head To Foxborough To Take On The New England Patriots
Raise your hand if you had the Miami Dolphins in first place in the AFC East at any point during the regular season? Arguably the biggest surprise in the entire NFL, the Dolphins can get a three-game lead with an upset against New England this Sunday.
The Pats won their season opener against the Houston Texans, but lost consecutive games to Jacksonville and Detroit. The loss against the Lions, however, was one of the worst in the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era.
Miami has pulled off upsets against New England in the past as they are 2-3 in the last five games versus New England. All of those upsets however occurred in Miami. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, they haven’t won a game in Foxborough since 2008.
Dolphins head coach Adam Gase has reiterated that trick plays will remain a staple of the Dolphins offense this season. It’s going to take some of that same ingenuity to beat the Pats at home. Here are a few things to look out for in this AFC East matchup.
Are The Dolphins For Real?
On paper, the Dolphins appear to be pretenders. That will definitely change if they can pull off the upset this weekend. You can’t help who you play so credit to the Dolphins on their three wins. Realistically they haven’t beat any credible opponents. The Oakland Raiders are 0-3 and could very well be 0-4 come this Sunday.
The Jets aren’t exactly world beaters. Although they demolished the Lions in Week 1, they’ve lost consecutive games including a loss against the Cleveland Browns last week. The Tennessee Titans are the best team the Dolphins have beaten so far, but they have their issues as well.
Will Josh Gordon Make His Season Debut?
A hamstring injury has limited Gordon for the past few weeks. He did show signs of his old self in Week 1 against the Steelers scoring on a 17-yard touchdown. He’s yet to appear in a game since the Pats traded for him on September 18th.
When asked about Gordon’s status on Sunday, head coach Bill Belichick offered a bland “we’ll see.” I think that’s Belichick’s way of saying yes.
Game Prediction
The last time the Patriots lost three games in a row was 2000-01. They lost the season finale in 2000 and started the 01′ season 0-2. During the Brady-Belichick era, the Patriots have only had a three-game losing streak one time.
I highly doubt the Dolphins will be the team to give them their second. New England 28 Miami 17.
Photo Credit: Jack Newton via Flickr
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