How can we explain the Patriots’ struggles in South Florida?
Perhaps Devin McCourty put it best.
“We’ve just sucked,” McCourty said earlier this week.
Well, it’s true. The Pats have been defeated in four of their past five visits to Hard Rock Stadium. Tom Brady, somehow, is 7-9 in his career at the Dolphins.
Compare that with Brady’s track record at the Bills (15-2) and at the Jets (13-4) and it’s even more puzzling. It’s not as though the Dolphins have been substantially better than the Bills and Jets over the past two decades.
Will Brady and the Pats get tripped up by an underwhelming Dolphins squad this year?
Here are the five things to watch in the matchup…
CONTAINING DRAKE
Lots went wrong for the Patriots in last season’s Monday night loss at Miami. First and foremost, the Pats were torched by running back Kenyan Drake, who erupted for 193 yards from scrimmage in the 27-20 victory.
Drake was pegged as a potential breakout star in 2018, but his season, like the rest of his team, has been been wildly inconsistent.
The third-year veteran has eclipsed 85 yards from scrimmage in four games. He’s been held to 35 yards or fewer on three occasions, including a 16-yard game against the Patriots in Week 4 when he inexplicably touched the ball twice.
The Dolphins won’t make that mistake again. Expect Drake to be heavily involved. His athleticism and versatility should test the second level of the New England defense, which at times had issues with Vikings running back Dalvin Cook a week ago (106 yards from scrimmage on 17 touches).
MISMATCHES IN THE SECONDARY
For the second consecutive week, the Patriots draw an opponent whose No. 1 cornerback is hampered by injury.
Vikings corner Xavier Rhodes played in Week 13, but he clearly wasn’t himself. Rhodes subbed out frequently as he managed a hamstring injury. He offered little resistance, or in some cases wasn’t even on the field, when Tom Brady targeted Josh Gordon.
Gordon is in another great spot this week. Dolphins top cornerback Xavien Howard suffered a knee injury in the team’s Week 13 win over Buffalo, and he’s likely to be limited if he plays.
“If he’s not our best player, he’s one of our best players,” said Dolphins coach Adam Gase. “We just have to make sure that we have contingency plans for whatever the scenario calls for.”
Howard was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his two-interception performance against the Bills.
His potential absence leaves the Dolphins with three inexperienced perimeter cornerbacks in Minkah Fitzpatrick, Torry McTyer and Cornell Armstrong.
This bodes well for Gordon, who has caught all eight of his targets for 128 yards over the past two games.
Gordon’s chemistry with Brady is clearly improving. He’s emerging as one of the most important players in the New England offense.
KICKING IT INTO A NEW GEAR
Typically a strength, the Patriots’ kick coverage has been shaky all season.
The Pats currently rank as the fifth-worst kickoff coverage unit in the league, allowing 26.7 yards per return. They’re struggling even more on punts, where they rank third-from-last surrendering 11.9 yards per return.
Bill Belichick has made personnel changes in recent weeks, adding veteran linebackers Albert McClellan and Ramon Humber to the mix.
How has the unit responded so far?
“Well, we’ll find out this week,” Belichick said. “We’ll get challenged this week.”
The Dolphins, who lost star returner Jakeen Grant for the season, rank fourth in the league in kickoff returns (26.2 yards per attempt) and second in punt returns (13.1).
The Dolphins have used receiver Kenny Stills as a punt returner and running back Senorise Perry on kickoffs.
HEAT EFFECT
After practicing all week in 30-degree weather, the Patriots should be pumped to play in South Florida, right?
Historically, the Pats are decent — but not great — in warm temperatures.
When it’s 80 degrees or warmer (which it should be Sunday) at kickoff, the Patriots boast a 17-9 record since 2001.
They’ve played in one such game this year, a 31-20 loss to the Jaguars in Week 2. The temperatures reached 97 degrees that day.
“Hydration’s a factor in every game whether it’s hot, cold, snowing – it doesn’t matter,” said Patriots safety Patrick Chung. “If you’re not hydrated, you’re done. But especially down there, it’s hot, it’s humid so being hydrated, being a professional. You know what you’re getting into so hydrating and make sure you’re good, make sure your muscles are good. It’s not a big deal if you don’t make it a big deal.”
ROAD WOES
Putting aside their past issues in Miami, the 2018 Patriots have been inconsistent on the road.
That’s the standard for most NFL teams, but it’s a departure from the norm for the Pats.
They enter Week 14 with a 3-3 road record. The Pats were obliterated by the Jaguars, Lions and Titans, while they defeated the Bears, Bills and Jets.
Could a win here squash the storyline that this team struggles away from Gillette?
The common thread in road games has been the Patriots’ slow starts. They fell behind in the first half in all but one of those games: 14-0 at the Jaguars, 10-0 at the Lions, 17-7 at the Bears, 17-3 at the Titans, and 7-0 at the Jets.
Of course, the Pats came back to win two of those matchups. That’s never an ideal position, though.
An early score by Tom Brady and Co. could set the tone for the rest of the afternoon.
https://www.bostonherald.com/2018/1...-five-things-to-watch-in-the-week-14-matchup/
Perhaps Devin McCourty put it best.
“We’ve just sucked,” McCourty said earlier this week.
Well, it’s true. The Pats have been defeated in four of their past five visits to Hard Rock Stadium. Tom Brady, somehow, is 7-9 in his career at the Dolphins.
Compare that with Brady’s track record at the Bills (15-2) and at the Jets (13-4) and it’s even more puzzling. It’s not as though the Dolphins have been substantially better than the Bills and Jets over the past two decades.
Will Brady and the Pats get tripped up by an underwhelming Dolphins squad this year?
Here are the five things to watch in the matchup…
CONTAINING DRAKE
Lots went wrong for the Patriots in last season’s Monday night loss at Miami. First and foremost, the Pats were torched by running back Kenyan Drake, who erupted for 193 yards from scrimmage in the 27-20 victory.
Drake was pegged as a potential breakout star in 2018, but his season, like the rest of his team, has been been wildly inconsistent.
The third-year veteran has eclipsed 85 yards from scrimmage in four games. He’s been held to 35 yards or fewer on three occasions, including a 16-yard game against the Patriots in Week 4 when he inexplicably touched the ball twice.
The Dolphins won’t make that mistake again. Expect Drake to be heavily involved. His athleticism and versatility should test the second level of the New England defense, which at times had issues with Vikings running back Dalvin Cook a week ago (106 yards from scrimmage on 17 touches).
MISMATCHES IN THE SECONDARY
For the second consecutive week, the Patriots draw an opponent whose No. 1 cornerback is hampered by injury.
Vikings corner Xavier Rhodes played in Week 13, but he clearly wasn’t himself. Rhodes subbed out frequently as he managed a hamstring injury. He offered little resistance, or in some cases wasn’t even on the field, when Tom Brady targeted Josh Gordon.
Gordon is in another great spot this week. Dolphins top cornerback Xavien Howard suffered a knee injury in the team’s Week 13 win over Buffalo, and he’s likely to be limited if he plays.
“If he’s not our best player, he’s one of our best players,” said Dolphins coach Adam Gase. “We just have to make sure that we have contingency plans for whatever the scenario calls for.”
Howard was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his two-interception performance against the Bills.
His potential absence leaves the Dolphins with three inexperienced perimeter cornerbacks in Minkah Fitzpatrick, Torry McTyer and Cornell Armstrong.
This bodes well for Gordon, who has caught all eight of his targets for 128 yards over the past two games.
Gordon’s chemistry with Brady is clearly improving. He’s emerging as one of the most important players in the New England offense.
KICKING IT INTO A NEW GEAR
Typically a strength, the Patriots’ kick coverage has been shaky all season.
The Pats currently rank as the fifth-worst kickoff coverage unit in the league, allowing 26.7 yards per return. They’re struggling even more on punts, where they rank third-from-last surrendering 11.9 yards per return.
Bill Belichick has made personnel changes in recent weeks, adding veteran linebackers Albert McClellan and Ramon Humber to the mix.
How has the unit responded so far?
“Well, we’ll find out this week,” Belichick said. “We’ll get challenged this week.”
The Dolphins, who lost star returner Jakeen Grant for the season, rank fourth in the league in kickoff returns (26.2 yards per attempt) and second in punt returns (13.1).
The Dolphins have used receiver Kenny Stills as a punt returner and running back Senorise Perry on kickoffs.
HEAT EFFECT
After practicing all week in 30-degree weather, the Patriots should be pumped to play in South Florida, right?
Historically, the Pats are decent — but not great — in warm temperatures.
When it’s 80 degrees or warmer (which it should be Sunday) at kickoff, the Patriots boast a 17-9 record since 2001.
They’ve played in one such game this year, a 31-20 loss to the Jaguars in Week 2. The temperatures reached 97 degrees that day.
“Hydration’s a factor in every game whether it’s hot, cold, snowing – it doesn’t matter,” said Patriots safety Patrick Chung. “If you’re not hydrated, you’re done. But especially down there, it’s hot, it’s humid so being hydrated, being a professional. You know what you’re getting into so hydrating and make sure you’re good, make sure your muscles are good. It’s not a big deal if you don’t make it a big deal.”
ROAD WOES
Putting aside their past issues in Miami, the 2018 Patriots have been inconsistent on the road.
That’s the standard for most NFL teams, but it’s a departure from the norm for the Pats.
They enter Week 14 with a 3-3 road record. The Pats were obliterated by the Jaguars, Lions and Titans, while they defeated the Bears, Bills and Jets.
Could a win here squash the storyline that this team struggles away from Gillette?
The common thread in road games has been the Patriots’ slow starts. They fell behind in the first half in all but one of those games: 14-0 at the Jaguars, 10-0 at the Lions, 17-7 at the Bears, 17-3 at the Titans, and 7-0 at the Jets.
Of course, the Pats came back to win two of those matchups. That’s never an ideal position, though.
An early score by Tom Brady and Co. could set the tone for the rest of the afternoon.
https://www.bostonherald.com/2018/1...-five-things-to-watch-in-the-week-14-matchup/
