Five Players to Watch in Patriots vs. Dolphins Finale

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — With their Week 18 matchup against the Miami Dolphins set to kick off at Gillette Stadium, the New England Patriots are hoping to continue their winning ways heading into the playoffs.

The Patriots (13-3) enter this matchup on the heels of a 42-10 victory over the New York Jets — a win which also secured the club its first AFC East division title since 2019. Conversely, the Dolphins (7-9) are fresh off a 20-17 Week 17 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

A win this week against Miami will give the Patriots their 11th series sweep of the Dolphins and their first series sweep since the 2016 season. The Patriots beat the Dolphins in the first meeting of the season, a 33-27 Week 2 win on Sept. 14in Miami. Should the playoff-bound Pats secure the victory, it will improve them to a 14-3 record — making this the team’s sixth season with 14 or more wins.

Though many of New England’s notables are expected to garner some attention during this upcoming matchup, here are five players that might raise an eyebrow when the Pats take the field against the Dolphins.

TreVeyon Henderson

Henderson enters this week with a team-leading 858 yards rushing. He needs 142 rushing yards this week against Miami to register 1,000 yards rushing. While that may be a lofty goal, the Pats’ second-round selection (38 overall) has the big-play ability to make it happen. Henderson’s exceptional breakaway speed and acceleration have separated him form his peers, thus far. While Rhamondre Stevenson is unlikely to be relegated to minimal duty, Henderson’s abilities as a rusher, pass-catcher and blocker make him a potential triple threat in coordinator Josh McDaniels’ offensive game plan against the Dolphins defense.

Hunter Henry

After missing the first session of Week 18, Henry (knee injury) returned to practice, albeit in a limited capacity. This season, Henry has remained one of quarterback Drake Maye’s most reliable targets. the veteran tight end is most productive when playing the traditional “Y” role, accentuating his route-running skills, as well as his ability to box out. He has also proven himself to be a strong blocker and reliable pass catcher. The Pats’ team captain enters this week fourth among New England tight ends in receiving yards with 2,917 and needs 83 receiving yards this week to become the fourth Patriots tight end to reach 3,000 receiving yards. Henry also has 254 receptions and needs six to move ahead of Randy Moss (259) and into 15th place on the Patriots all-time list for receptions — two goals which are well within his capability of achieving in Week 18.

Stefon Diggs

To say that this has been a challenging week for Diggs would be a significant understatement. Putting off-field legal woes aside, the two-time All Pro will be looking to lead the Patriots receivers group into the postseason with a strong performance. Diggs enters this week with a team-leading 970 receiving yards and needs 30 yards this week against Miami for his seventh 1,000-yard season. It would be the first 1,000-yard season by a New England player since the 2019 season when WR Julian Edelman finished with 1,117 receiving yards. As such, Diggs should find success against Miami’s secondary in this matchup.

Christian Barmore

Much like Diggs, Barmore will be looking to temporarily put his recent legal troubles aside against the Dolphins in Week 18. This season, the 26-year-old has appeared in 16 games while compiling 26 total tackles, nine quarterback hits, three tackles-for-loss and one sack. He plays with good leverage, and is strong enough to take on double-teams. With the return of defensive tackle Milton Williams from injured reserve, Barmore should be given greater opportunity to locate the ball quickly, chase with good effort and demonstrate his excellen range and flexibility. Therefore, he should be expected to be a disruptive force to Miami quarterback Quinn Evers.

Christian Gonzalez

Due to a hamstring injury suffered during training camp, Gonzalez did not play in New England’s Week 2 matchup against the Dolphins. However, he will be active this time. The Pats top boundary corner was expected to face off against Miami’s top receiver Jaylen Waddle — making for an intruguing strength-on-strength matchup. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, Waddle is not expected to play in this matchup, leaving the Patriots’ Pro-Bowler to match against either Malik Washington or Theo Wease, Jr. Gonzalez is arguably at his best in man coverage. However, his ability to maintain eye contact with the quarterback makes him a potential asset in zone. As such, he appears poised to make life difficult for Evers and his pass catchers in Week 18.

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