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Setting the Stage for the Dolphins-Patriots Week 1 Matchup

Breaking down all the details for the Miami-New England game at Hard Rock Stadium

The Miami Dolphins will look to make it four in a row against the New England Patriots when the teams face off at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.

Here's all the pertinent info for this Week 1 Dolphins-Patriots matchup:

MIAMI DOLPHINS (0-0) vs. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (0-0)

DATE: Sunday, Sept. 11

TIME: 1 p.m. ET

SITE: Hard Rock Stadium; Miami Gardens, Fla.

WEATHER FORECAST: The temperature between 1 and 4 p.m. ET in Miami Gardens will be between 89 and 91 degrees, according to AccuWeather.com, with mostly cloudy skies and thunderstorms in the 3 p.m. hour.  precipitation. The wind is expected to be 8-9 mph with gusts up to 15 mph.

TV: CBS

TV distribution: The game will be shown in all of Florida, most of Alabama and most of the upper Northeast, as well as Honolulu.

Announcers: Greg Gumbel (play-by-play), Adam Archuleta (color analyst), A.J. Ross (sidelines)

STREAMING: fuboTV (start your free trial)

SI Sportsbook betting line: Dolphins by 3.5 (over/under 46)

Final Injury Report:

Dolphins — RB Salvon Ahmed (heel), TE Tanner Conner (knee), DT Raekwon Davis (knee), S Eric Rowe (pectoral) and LB Andrew Van Ginkel (not injury related - illness) are listed as questionable.

Patriots — S Joshuah Bledsoe (groin), WR Jakobi Meyers (knee), WR Ty Montgomery (knee), CB Shaun Wade (ankle) and T Isaiah Wynn (back) are listed as questionable.

Regular season series history: The Dolphins lead 58-52

Last five meetings:

Jan. 9, 2022 at Miami — Dolphins 33, Patriots 24

Sept. 12, 2021 at New England — Dolphins 17, Patriots 17

Dec. 20, 2020 at Miami — Dolphins 22, Patriots 12

Sept. 13, 2020 at New England — Patriots 21, Dolphins 11

Dec. 29, 2019 at New England — Dolphins 27, Patriots 24

Dolphins' largest margin of victory: 52 (1972 at Miami; Dolphins 52, Patriots 0)

Dolphins' largest margin of defeat: 43 (2019 at Miami; Patriots 43, Dolphins 0)

Highest-scoring matchup: 77 points (2007 at Miami; Patriots 49, Dolphins 28)

Lowest-scoring matchup: 3 points (1982 at New England; Patriots 3, Dolphins 0)

Former Patriots players with the Dolphins:

LB Trey Flowers (20150-18), S Eric Rowe (2016-18), LB Elandon Roberts (2016-19), DB Keion Crossen (2018), CB Justin Bethel (2019-21), wide receivers coach Wes Welker (2007-12), safeties coach Steve Gregory (2012-13)

Former Patriots coaches with the Dolphins:

Defensive coordinator Josh Boyer, 

Former Dolphins players with the Patriots:

WR DeVante Parker, LB Raekwon McMillan, DT Davon Godchaux, WR Lynn Bowden Jr. (practice squad)

Former Dolphins coaches with the Patriots:

None

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PATRIOTS SCOUTING REPORT

The Patriots enter the 2022 season as a bit of a mystery despite returning to their familiar place in the playoffs last year in large part because of the departure of high-profile veterans like J.C. Jackson, Kyle Van Noy and Dont'a Hightower, among others. Mac Jones returns after an impressive rookie season at quarterback, but the New England offense often looked discombobulated this summer. The X-factor remains head coach Bill Belichick, who will be looking to continue closing on Don Shula's NFL record for coaching victories.

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THE BIGGEST REASON THE DOLPHINS WILL WIN ...

Throughout the offseason, the focus with the Dolphins was on the new-look offense and the possibilities for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa after the additions of Tyreek Hill, Terron Armstead and many others. But let's not forget that the Dolphins rushed for 250 and 195 yards in their last two home games against New England — and this was with a rushing attack that was among the worst in the NFL. So what's going to happen now that the Dolphins have upgraded their offensive line and their running back corps with the additions of Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert? So, yes, we could see some fireworks in the passing game, but it could be that the running game again will be the difference-maker here.

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THE BIGGEST REASON THE DOLPHINS WILL LOSE ...

Whether you want to believe much of his success was due to having Tom Brady at quarterback, the fact remains that Bill Belichick has achieved a ridiculous amount of success as an NFL head coach and his mere presence makes this opener more intriguing. The Patriots sure have the look of a team that could be in for a rough season, but there's always the possibility that he'll come up with some sort of inventive game plan to thwart the Dolphins. In a more practical way, the biggest area of concern heading into the game should be the Dolphins' ability to stop the run. That was their downfall in the 2020 season opener at Gillette Stadium, though it should be noted that Cam Newton was the quarterback at that time and he's a major running threat, wheras Mac Jones is among the slowest QBs in the NFL these days.

FINAL DOLPHINS-PATRIOTS PREDICTION

As we chronicled early in the week, the Dolphins finally will come into a game against New England favored to win, but it seems as though they should be favored by more than just 3.5 points based on the direction of the two franchises. It's almost like the oddsmakers know something that others don't because the Dolphins clearly look to have the more talented roster and the game is at Hard Rock Stadium, where they've defeated New England seven of the last nine matchups. Based on New England's offensive showing all summer, which based on most reports was pretty bad, it almost feels like this should be a blowout. But the thing about a season opener is that it's really hard to have a great feel for what teams will look like. Given Belichick's credentials, it's difficult to envision the Dolphins blowing them out, but this is a game they clearly should win. So let's say it'll be close for most of the game before the Dolphins put it away with a late score. Dolphins 27, Patriots 17