I must first say that I respect the hell out of the team that the Miami Dolphins have become since 2007. They’re still a little rough around the edges (see their game against the Jets) but they are a big, physical football team that is going to compete from start to end and force you to beat them.
I never like to blow the importance of games out of proportion, especially in early October, but the fact is that this game is going to tell a lot about where the New England Patriots are.
We don’t need to be reminded of how poorly the Patriots have been in big games as of late, especially on the road. Name the last big road game the Patriots won. You’d have to go back to the 2007 16-0 game against the Giants.
In many ways the Dolphins and Patriots are similar teams. Young on defense, but solid on offense with solid weaponry. While Miami’s defense might be slightly ahead of the Pats right now, the Patriots are ahead at quarterback.
The thing that we know for sure is that the Patriots will have to play 60 minutes to win. Their defense must play better than they have the past two weeks. They must win the game, it will not be handed to them.
So start getting excited now, we’re five days from learning a lot about the 2010 Patriots.