Setting the Stage for the Dolphins-Patriots Week 2 Matchup
The Miami Dolphins will look to go to 2-0 on the season when they face the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Sunday night.
Here's all the pertinent info for this Week 2 Dolphins-Patriots matchup:
MIAMI DOLPHINS (1-0) vs. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (0-1)
DATE: Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023
TIME: 8:20 p.m. ET
SITE: Gillette Stadium; Foxborough, Mass.
WEATHER FORECAST: The temperature between 8 p.m. and midnight ET around Gillette Stadium will be 62-64 degrees, according to AccuWeather.com, with intermittent clouds but very little chance of precipitation (3-5 percent). The wind is expected to be 5-6 mph.
TV: NBC
Announcers: Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (color analyst), Melissa Stark (sidelines)
STREAMING: fuboTV (start your free trial)
SI Sportsbook betting line: Dolphins by 2.5 (over/under 46.5)
Dolphins — T Terron Armstead (back/ankle/knee), DB Elijah Campbell (knee), TE Julian Hill (ankle) and LB Jaelan Phillips (back) are questionable.
Patriots — T Trent Brown (concussion), CB Jonathan Jones (ankle), OL Mike Onwenu (ankle), WR DeVante Parker (knee), OL Sidy Sow (concussion) and G Cole Strange (knee) are questionable.
Regular season series history: The Dolphins lead 59-53
Last five meetings:
Jan. 1, 2023 at New England — Patriots 23, Dolphins 21
Sept. 11, 2022 at Miami — Dolphins 20, Patriots 7
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
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:
P Jake Bailey (2019-22), WR Braxton Berrios (2018 on IR), OL Isaiah Wynn (2019-22), DB Keion Crossen (2018), CB Justin Bethel (2019-21), wide receivers coach Wes Welker (2007-12)
Former Patriots coaches with the Dolphins:
Offensive assistant Mike Judge
Former Dolphins players with the Patriots:
WR DeVante Parker, LB Raekwon McMillan (IR), DT Davon Godchaux, TE Mike Gesicki, LB Calvin Munson (practice squad), assistant offensive line coach Billy Yates
Former Dolphins coaches with the Patriots:
None
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PATRIOTS SCOUTING REPORT
The Patriots were the forgotten team when everybody was handicapping the AFC East race before the start of the season, a rather unusual position for Bill Belichick and his team to find themselves considering they ruled the division for so long. While they weren't able to upset the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles in their season opener at Gillette Stadium, the Patriots certainly were very competitive and gave themselves a chance to win the game at the end after quickly falling behind 16-0. The addition of former Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien as offensive coordinator no doubt figures to help third-year quarterback Mac Jones and the defense again should be solid under Belichick's supervision, but whether that's going to be enough for the Patriots to return to the playoffs remains to be seen.
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THE BIGGEST REASON THE DOLPHINS WILL WIN ...
Anybody who watched the season opener at SoFi Stadium will know the answer to that question: How do you contain Tyreek Hill and the Dolphins passing game? The L.A. Chargers certainly had no answers, with Tua Tagovailoa passing for 466 yards, 215 of those to Hill. The Dolphins also could be looking at facing the Patriots without their best cornerback, Jonathan Jones, or at the very least have to face him at less than 100 percent. On the other side, the Patriots' massive injury issues on the offensive line could make it a lot easier for the Dolphins defense to rebound after a disappointing performance against the Chargers.
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THE BIGGEST REASON THE DOLPHINS WILL LOSE ...
It's really difficult to look at this matchup and find a lot of reasons to think the Dolphins might not win this game, though we obviously always have to give Bill Belichick his proper respect and think that maybe he'll come up with a way to slow down the Dolphins passing game. And it also might be too much to expect the Dolphins offense to be as sharp as it was in the season opener. The Dolphins' inability to stop the run against the Chargers also is worrisome because the Patriots have been known to be able to run the ball through the years.
FINAL DOLPHINS-PATRIOTS PREDICTION
The Dolphins became the betting favorites to win the AFC East in some places following their win at SoFi last Sunday combined with the Jets losing Aaron Rodgers and Josh Allen losing four tunovers, and this is a great opportunity to validate that new respect. The Dolphins offense truly looked dynamic against the Chargers and it's really difficult to envision any defense being able to shut it completely down at this time. So then it becomes an issue of whether the Patriots offense can keep up, and it's also difficult to see that with all their injury issues on the offensive line. The combination just looks too promising for the Dolphins, so it says here the Dolphins will start off 2-0 for a second consecutive year. Dolphins 27, Patriots 23
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