3 Stats To Know for Patriots' Week 15 Game vs. Dolphins
After back-to-back wins against the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Chargers, the New England Patriots suffered a loss to the LA Rams last Thursday night.
The remaining three games on New England's schedule are against their AFC East rivals, starting with the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins are coming off a hard fought loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Miami held the Chiefs scoreless in the first half, but didn't make the necessary adjustments to prevent the Chiefs from overwhelming them in the second half.
However, the Dolphins are 8-5 and second in the division. Tua Tagovailoa has proven himself at the professional level so far, and after a defeat earlier this season, the Dolphins are itching for a win against New England.
Here are the top three stats you should know before Sunday's game, via ESPN.
147.5 Yards
The Patriots have really showcased the run game this season, and have averaged 147.5 rushing yards per game. This average ranks fifth in the league, behind teams with powerhouse running backs like the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns.
Offensively, rushing has been the saving grace of the Patriots this season. The team has a total of 1,918 total rushing yards for an average of 4.5 yards per carry. Second year back Damien Harris has led the backfield this season and continues to be one of the most efficient backfield threats in the NFL.
119 Yards
In last Thursday's game against the Rams, Cam Newton threw for 119 yards with one interception. It's clear that Newton has been hesitant to throw the football, but not many football teams can win a game when their quarterback barely surpasses 100 passing yards.
If Miami stacks the box and dares New England to throw the football, Newton will have to surpass 119 yards to come out with a win in Week 15. Otherwise, the Dolphins may be too good for the Patriots to beat them for a second time this season.
9 Touchdowns
If the Patriots want to beat Miami, they will certainly need to put more than three points on the scoreboard, and put pressure on Tagovailoa. The rookie has nine touchdowns in in seven games played this season. He averages 173.4 passing yards per game with a 62 percent completion rate. Even more impressively, he has only thrown only one interception so far.
The defense did an outstanding job against another rookie quarterback two weeks ago when they faced the Chargers in Los Angeles where Justin Herbert is making his case for rookie of the year. They will need to perform similarly if they want to shut down the Miami offense on Sunday.
