Dolphins-Patriots Week 2 Predictions Roundup
The Miami Dolphins will look to go to 2-0 on the 2023 season when they face the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Sunday night.
The Dolphins will enter the game as 2.5-point favorites, according to the SI Sportsbook.
Here's a roundup of national predictions on this game:
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CBS Sports
Analysis: "Miami is coming off a high-flying offensive victory against the Chargers. Tua Tagovailoa was outstanding in that game. The Patriots lost to the Eagles, but the defense played well. That defense will keep them in this game as they slow down the high-flying Dolphins to win it late. Upset special."
Prediction: Patriots 24, Dolphins 23
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Sports Illustrated
Albert Breer Prediction: Patriots
Mitch Goldich Prediction: Dolphins
Claire Kuwana Prediction: Dolphins
Gilbert Manzano Prediction: Dolphins
Conor Orr Prediction: Patriots
John Pluym Prediction: Dolphins
Matt Verderame Prediction: Dolphins
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Pro Football Network
Analysis: "It’s hard not to feel some type of way about the Dolphins after watching their offensive performance against the Chargers in Week 1. But we must also remember that their run defense was horrific, and Bill Belichick won’t allow things to be so easy over the middle of the field against this Miami passing attack. But the thing is, if the Tua we saw in Week 1 is what we’re about to get for 16 more weeks, it will be almost impossible to slow down this offense. If he creates the way he did and tests deep outside of the numbers with the success he had against the Chargers, he’s going to break records with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. But Mac Jones might also be back. The Patriots threw the ball a ton in their Week 1 loss to the Eagles. With how poor the Dolphins’ run defense looked against the Chargers, we could see the Patriots have themselves a big day on the ground, sustaining drives and keeping the ball away from the Dolphins’ offense."
Adam H. Beasley Prediction: Dolphins
Dalton Miller Prediction: Dolphins
Dallas Robinson Prediction: Dolphins
David Bearman: Dolphins
Jay Morrison: Patriots
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FOR EVEN MORE COVERAGE ON THE MIAMI DOLPHINS, CHECK OUT SPORTS ILLUSTRATED'S MIAMI DOLPHINS PAGE ON SI.COM
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The Sporting News
Analysis: "The Dolphins have a chance to put the Patriots in a 0-2 hole, and the difference will be the passing game. Patriots coach Bill Belichick will try to take away Tyreek Hill, and it will work to some extent. The difference in these teams' games last year was turnovers. Which teams protects the ball in a tight game?"
Prediction: Dolphins 24, Patriots 21
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The Ringer
Analysis: "One player who didn’t fill up the box score in Week 1 but looked great on film for the Patriots was rookie defensive lineman Keion White. The Eagles have a pair of quality starting offensive tackles, and White had impressive pass-rush reps against both of them. He’s a player to watch in the weeks ahead. Overall, the Patriots delivered a strong defensive performance, and their offense looked far more competent than it did a year ago. The Dolphins, meanwhile, were one of the big winners of Week 1. They totaled 536 yards and had 23 plays of 10-plus yards—tied for the most by any offense in a single game over the past two seasons. I loved how aggressive head coach and play caller Mike McDaniel was. At the end of the first half, the Chargers failed to convert a third down. McDaniel took a timeout with 14 seconds left. Los Angeles kicked a field goal and then kicked off to Miami. The Dolphins took over from their own 25 with nine seconds left. Most coaches take a knee there. McDaniel called a play, and Tua Tagovailoa completed a pass to Jaylen Waddle for 22 yards. There was still two seconds left. McDaniel called another play—and came away with a 30-yard pass interference penalty against the Chargers, putting the Dolphins into field goal range. They kicked a field goal just before halftime and ended up winning the game by two points. Moral of the story: Know your team’s identity, and if you believe in your offense, never, ever waste a chance to score. It’s possible that the Patriots stymie this Dolphins attack, but Miami was too impressive last week for me to fade them here."
Prediction (against the spread): Dolphins -3
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ESPN
Analysis: "The Dolphins gave up 234 rushing yards in their season-opening win over the Chargers, but the Patriots' running game wasn't effective in their season-opening loss to the Eagles (22 carries, 76 yards, 3.5 yards per carry). Which unit rectifies those issues will be telling, with Patriots center David Andrews saying, "That's something we can improve on, but Miami has a really good front, so it's going to be a big challenge. Christian Wilkins leads the league in tackles every year from the D-tackle position."
Seth Walder Prediction: Dolphins 26, Patriots 16
Eric Moody Prediction: Dolphins 30, Patriots 27
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Pro Football Talk
Mike Florio
Prediction: Dolphins 28, Patriots 23
Chris Simms
Prediction: Dolphins 28, Patriots 24
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NFL.com
Ali Bhanpuri Prediction: Dolphins 25, Patriots 20
Tom Blair Prediction: Dolphins 31, Patriots 24
Brooke Cersosimo Prediction: Dolphins 26, Patriots 22
Gennaro Filice Prediction: Patriots 24, Dolphins 21
Dan Parr Prediction: Dolphins 24, Patriots 17
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The 33rd Team
Analysis: "The New England Patriots gave the Eagles all they could handle on opening day. Not only did the Patriots’ defense play well, but Mac Jones threw for more than 300 yards. Tua Tagovailoa played so well on opening day that he’s the current favorite in the MVP race. Similarly, Tyreek Hill is the current favorite in Offensive Player of the Year betting markets. We’ve already seen Miami’s enormous ceiling on offense, but Bill Belichick’s defense has held Miami to 21 or fewer points in three of their past four matchups."
Prediction: Patriots 23, Dolphins 20
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The Athletic
Analysis: "This is a classic trap line, as the Dolphins scorched the Chargers and oh, by the way, Bill Belichick is 0-4 straight up and ATS against Tua Tagovailoa. I am going to bite. Mac Jones no longer has a defensive coordinator for an offensive coordinator, and he played pretty well against the Eagles late last week. And the Patriots defense is above average and was able to contain Hurts last week."
Prediction (against the spread): Patriots
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SI Fan Nation All Dolphins
Analysis: "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."
Prediction: Dolphins 27, Patriots 23
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