Patriots-Dolphins Week 2 Predictions
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots will eventually be tested this season. That will not happen this weekend.
New England looked like the best team in the NFL last weekend, pounding the Steelers 33-3 on opening night. They made just about everything look easy.
This weekend in Miami could be even easier. The Dolphins are in full rebuild mode and don't seem too interested in winning any games this year. Yes, there is a former Patriots coordinator now calling the shots on the Miami sideline, and they tend to hand Bill Belichick a loss on occasion, but these Dolphins are b-a-d bad. Just look at the 59 points they surrendered to the Baltimore Ravens last weekend.
So, yes, you're in for another week of the WBZ-TV and CBS Boston crew picking the Patriots. Here's how the team sees Sunday's game playing out:
Steve Burton, WBZ-TV Sports
Even though Miami has been a house of horrors for the Patriots, the Pats are still favored by 19 points this weekend. The Pats haven't forgotten last year's trip to Miami, when they lost in stunning fashion in the final seconds.
New England is coming off a 33-3 win over Pittsburgh. Miami is coming off a 59-10 loss to Baltimore. No other team can block out the noise like the Patriots, even if that noise is Antonio Brown.
Whether Brown plays or not, the Pats will still win big.
Patriots 34, Dolphins 10
Dan Roche, WBZ-TV Sports
The Patriots have lost five of their last six games in Miami, including that horrendous loss a year ago. Look for the Pats to come out motivated and, based on what we saw last week, look for Tom Brady to throw deep early to Gordon, Dorsett and Brown (if he dresses/plays). The Dolphins D was lit up by second year QB Lamar Jackson of the Ravens, so Brady could have a field day.
Granted, Brian Flores knows the Pats offense well, but there will be no letdown this time, like the ones we saw last year at Detroit against Matt Patricia and Tennessee against Mike Vrabel. Miami's O-line is a mess, so look for the Pats defense to apply all kinds of pressure early and often.
Patriots 45, Dolphins 17
Levan Reid, WBZ-TV Sports
I know the Pats have struggled in Miami. I also know that former Patriots assistants have done well against their old team when they play them for the first time.
But come on. Seriously, come on!
The "Miami Miracle" is still on the minds of many of the players, and despite all the drama Antonio Brown has caused, when he gets on the field this weekend, you are going to see why people put up with all his nonsense. Brown is a unique talent and he's going home to play his first game in a Patriots uniform.
Brady and Brown will connect four times for 105 yards and a touchdown. The defense will dull the magic of Ryan Fitzpatrick and we will see Josh Rosen, because the Pats defense will knock Ryan out of the game.
Patriots 35, Dolphins 10
Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
The Dolphins will employ a much more appropriate defense against Tom Brady and Josh McDaniels than the one they employed against Lamar Jackson and Greg Roman. The defensive scheme will be much better … but the results won't be.
The Patriots probably won't put up 59 points, but they have so much more talent than the Dolphins, and they also don't have Ryan Fitzpatrick. Patriots win easily, which is something we can almost never say about a trip to South Florida.
Patriots 30, Dolphins 9
Matthew Geagan, CBS Boston
It's an odd feeling, to have such confidence in the Patriots against the Dolphins in Miami. But we all saw what the Patriots did to the Steelers last weekend, and some of us got to see what the Ravens did to the Dolphins last weekend. Vegas took note, giving the Patriots a 19-point spread to cover.
I don't know if the Patriots will win that big, but they're going to win big.
Patriots 30, Dolphins 13
Tune in to Patriots-Dolphins on WBZ-TV — the flagship station of the New England Patriots. Pregame coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. with Patriots GameDay, kickoff is set for 1 p.m., and stick around for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter — all on WBZ-TV!
