Patriots-Dolphins Week 2 predictions
FOXBORO -- The Patriots will look to earn their first win of the season Sunday night at Gillette Stadium, but they face a formidable foe in the 1-0 Miami Dolphins.
While the Pats put up a fight in Week 1 against the Eagles, their comeback bid fell short and they walked off the field with a 25-20 defeat. Now New England welcomes in a Dolphins team that won a track meet against the Chargers, 36-34, in Los Angeles last weekend.
Will the New England defense be able to slow down Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle? Will Mac Jones and the rest of the New England offense be able to keep pace?
The WBZ Sports team makes their picks for this weekend's Patriots-Dolphins clash at Gillette Stadium.
Steve Burton, WBZ-TV Sports
The Dolphins are three-point favorites heading into Sunday night, but by the time the night is over both teams will be 1-1.
Tua and Tyreek Hill are tough to stop, so the Pats have to find a way to keep them off the field. Hopefully the Patriots can get their run game going and grind down Miami's defense. If they can do that, the passing game should open up as well.
Patriots 24, Dolphins 21
Dan Roche, WBZ-TV Sports
Bill Belichick has told us time and time again that life in the NFL is about one thing: Winning.
The Patriots looked really promising last weekend in a close loss to the Eagles. But Tua is 4-0 against New England, while Mac is just 1-3 against Miami.
It's time for Mac and company to get angry. Time for Mac and company to find a way into the win colum.
Patriots 28, Dolphins 24
Michael Hurley, WBZ.com Sports
I actually liked the Patriots in this matchup coming out of last weekend. Miami was a defensive trainwreck, and Tua was lucky to have escaped with just his one pick. I liked New England to run it down their throat and get a few interceptions and pull out a victory at home on a Sunday night.
But I'm afraid of the injury report. After Sidy Sow, Atonio Mafi and Calvin Anderson were among the worst-performing offensive linemen in the whole league last week, Sow is now dealing with a concussion, while the two good offensive linemen -- Trent Brown and David Andrews -- are injured too. Brown's concussion could create a really problematic void at left tackle, and Andrews is working through a hamstring injury. Imagine if he leaves the game in the first series? Nightmare.
So that whole running it right through Miami thing may not be in the cards for the Patriots, who are off to a brutal start health-wise on their O-line.
Dolphins 30, Patriots 17
Matthew Geagan, WBZ.com Sports
All the injuries along the offensive line absolutely terrify me this weekend. With a healthy bunch in the trenches, the Pats would have been able to control the clock against a porous Miami run defense (L.A. ran for 233 yards last weekend) and keep the powerful Dolphins' offense off the field. I think that's off the table if Trent Brown misses the game.
The defense will put up a good fight and if the offense doesn't cough up the ball, the Patriots should still keep this one interesting. But in the end, I don't think they'll be able to overcome this rash of injuries along the line.
Dolphins 28, Patriots 17
