Top Keys To A Dolphins Victory In New England
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Following their tough home loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the Miami Dolphins' hopes of ending their six-year playoff drought are dwindling. With three games remaining on the schedule, the Dolphins cannot afford to lose another game if they want to remain in the extremely tight AFC playoff race. Unfortunately for Miami, their next game is on the road against one of the best teams in the league, the New England Patriots.
The Dolphins defeated New England in Week 1 thanks to a very strong second half in which Miami's defense shut out Tom Brady and the Pats. Since then though, the Patriots have been one of the hottest teams in the NFL, having gone 8-1 in their last nine games. Miami will need to play a near-flawless game on Sunday if they want to take down the division leading Patriots. Here are the Dolphins keys to victory over New England.
Get After Tom Brady
Always easier said than done, it's well known that one of the best ways to defeat the Patriots is to get constant pressure on Tom Brady. The more time he has in the pocket, the more likely it is that the ball will find its way to one of New England's offensive weapons. While Brady has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL since he first took over for Drew Bledsoe all those years ago, he's still human and is not immune to getting rattled. Miami certainly has the players on defense that can make any quarterback's day a difficult one, but they'll need to step up and find a way to make things happen.
Stick With The Run Game
The Dolphins have been a very good running team all season, but for whatever reason the team always seems to get further away from the run as the game progresses. Lamar Miller has been among the league leaders in yards per carry all season and he has looked better and better as his first full season as the featured back has gone on. Controlling the clock will be key for Miami if they want to get out of Foxboro with a win. The best way to do that? Ride Miller all the way to the finish line.
Open Up The Offense
It's become very clear over the past few weeks that the Dolphins have no intention of taking the top off of their opponents' defense. Despite that, they have still been able to run the ball successfully thanks to strong efforts from Lamar Miller. The frustration mounted in Miami's loss to the Ravens due to Baltimore's depleted and struggling secondary not being challenged at all by Bill Lazor's play calls. The Dolphins need to show New England that they're willing to spread the ball all over the field, otherwise Bill Belichick will key in on the few offensive threats that Miami has to offer. Keeping all that in mind, the Dolphins offensive line will still need to protect Ryan Tannehill and give their receivers time to get open down the field. Bottom line, in order for Miami to open up their offense the entire unit will need to step up.
Backups Need To Step Up
Injuries have taken their toll on the Dolphins this season, especially in the past couple months. Losing Branden Albert for the season shook up the offensive line, which has really struggled over the past three games. Injuries in the secondary have left Miami bare at times, and now the team may be without two of its starting linebackers against the Patriots. Whether it's Dallas Thomas on the o-line, Jimmy Wilson in the secondary or Jason Trusnik and Kelvin Sheppard at linebacker, reserve players are going to have to step up and prove that they're worthy of playing in the NFL. When the Dolphins beat New England in Week 15 last season, it was backup corner Michael Thomas who stepped up and intercepted Tom Brady to seal the win. There will be multiple opportunities for players to have a similar impact on Sunday.
Watch Miami take on the New England Patriots this Sunday at 1 p.m. on CBS4, your official Dolphins station!
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