Beating the Patriots on the road puts the Phins in a great spot!
The Miami Dolphins beat the LA Chargers in a nail-biter earning a critical tie Breaker advantage over a possible playoff contender. Then the New York Jets lost Aaron Rodgers for the season but beat a Buffalo Bills team that appeared in disarray. The Jets are facing a huge uphill battle going against the Dallas Cowboys on the road and will likely lose. So with the Patriots losing Week 1 against the Eagles, riddled with injuries and good weather forecasted, the Phins have an excellent chance to put themselves in first place in the division today by beating New England.
Now would that be a sweet way to head into Week 3 at home against the Denver Broncos?
Injuries leave both teams’ situations in the air
The great news for the Dolphins is Terron Armstead practiced all week and if can play it will greatly increase the chances of a victory. He is listed as questionable and hasn’t been labeled a scratch yet, so he could be a go. On the downside, Jaelen Phillips had a back injury in warmups on Friday and is listed as questionable. The Dolphins pulled up edge player Chase Winovich from the Practice Squad to the gameday roster, so does this mean Phillips will be a scratch? It would hurt the Dolphins’ defense if Phillips doesn’t play and after a terrible performance last week, this defense will need all the help they can get.
Still, the Dolphins are clearly the healthier team and that’s a big edge for their chance to win.
The Patriots on the other hand are an M.A.S.H unit and their entire offensive line is on the injury list. With Mac Jones leading a run-focused offense, if this line is in shambles, it could be a very, very long day offensively for the Patriots.
What’s worse for their chances is they had a major mid-week injury to CB Jon Jones, who missed the Friday practice and is listed as questionable. This is the biggest hit for the Patriots if he doesn’t play it could make for a long day for their defense.
Patriots long list of injuries could make it that much easier for the Phins
Jones has near Hill-like speed–not the same, but close. Jones has limited Hill quite a bit.
As per Bernd Buchmasser, “In 2022 — which was Hill’s first season as a Dolphin — he was limited to four catches on nine targets for 50 yards with an interception when going up against Jones, according to Pro Football Focus. For comparison, the rest of New England’s defense allowed eight of 10 passes to be completed for a combined 99 yards.”
Now, you can bet with the best pay per head that’s still a darn good day for a receiver, but a day like this would mean Waddle and Berrios will have to carry a larger load, which they can. But, it might mean more time in the pocket as Tua gets through his reads and more time for the pass rush to get to him.
I’m greedy. I’d much prefer Jones out. I want this win… and I’d like it to be a breeze.
Tua is currently 4-0 vs. the Patriots. If Tua moves to 5-0 Miami will be on an amazing track to take the division… and more importantly, to get home-field advantage in the postseason! This is a big one!