WOWAWEA what a finish to that game. I wasn’t that invested in a season opener since the 2009 game against the Bills where Ben Watson made the game winning score. Alas, it is time to turn the page to the next opponent. Something tells me this one won’t be as much of a rip snorter…
Here’s everything you need to know about the Miami Dolphins, aka “The F*****g Phins”
Week 2: vs. Miami Dolphins (Tickets)
Sunday, September 18th,
1pm EST, CBS
Sunny, 70s
Opponent/Patriots Stats:
Dolphins:
Notable Games: In the season opener, The Phins put up a good fight against a vaunted Seahawks team, but Tannehill took a late sack that killed their final drive and an injured Russell Wilson drove for the game winning score.
Common Opponents: None yet.
Recent games vs. Pats: Patriots smoked the Dolphins in Week 8 of 2015, 36-7, but Miami triumphed in Week 17, 20-10. The last time the Dolphins won this matchup before that was in Week 1 of the 2014 season, 33-20. This game was in Miami (a scorcher in September).
[table id=16Dolphins1 /]
Notable Players (2016 stats):
RYAN TANNEHILL QB: 16/29 (55.2% completion), 186 yds, 0 TDs/INTs, 1 rushing TD, 1 fumble
ARAIN FOSTER RB: 13 carries, 38 yds (2.9 avg), 3 rec, 62 yds, 1 fumble
JARVIS LANDRY WR: 7 rec, 59 yds (8.4 avg), 0 TDs
CAMERON WAKE DE
NDAMUKONG SUH DT
Injury Alerts
Patriots:
Rob Gronkowski is fighting a hamstring injury and missed the first game of the season against the Cardinals. He has been practicing on a limited basis which is a good sign that this is nothing too serious. However nagging injuries like these tend to be tricky to manage, as you don’t know when they can flare up again. Martellus Bennett proved his worth with some great blocking and solid pass catching.
Nate Solder is another Patriots starter who was out against the Cardinals. No word yet on his hamstring and how it will look for the game but be on the lookout for the injury report today.
Jonathan Cooper (who?) is the former 1st round draft pick the Patriots received in the trade that sent Chandler Jones to Arizona. Cooper was playing with the top unit on the OL when he was healthy but he was injured early on this offseason and hasn’t been a full go since. Who knows what we’ll see of him, if anything.
Marcus Cannon was seen by Kevin Duffy of MassLive in a cart after the game. However, as he mentions, nothing was wrapped and Cannon was in the locker room after the game. Maybe he just wanted a joy ride?
Dolphins:
Mario Williams left the game with a concussion and is in the concussion protocol. This definitely puts his status for this game in jeopardy and would leave the fearsome DL with one less stud up front.
Earl Mitchell was put on IR on Tuesday with a calf injury according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network and will not play on Sunday. Mitchell was a starting DT for the Dolphins
Key Matchups:
Dolphins:
-vs. WR1: 32nd in NFL in 2015 —–Matchup: Julian Edelman vs. Byron Maxwell
-vs. WR2: 27th in NFL in 2015—–Matchup: Chris Hogan vs. Tony Lippett
-vs. TE: 11th in the NFL in 2015—–Matchup: Martellus Bennett vs. Reshad Jones
-vs. RB: 19th in the NFL in 2015—–Matchup: James White vs. Kiko Alonso
Patriots:
-vs. WR1: 17th in NFL in 2015—-Matchup: Malcolm Butler vs. Kenny Stills
-vs. WR2: 15th in NFL in 2015—-Matchup: Justin Coleman vs. Jarvis Landry
-vs. WR3: 28th in NFL in 2015—-Matchup: Logan Ryan vs. DeVante Parker
vs. RB: 17th in NFL in 2015—-Matchup: Jamie Collins vs. Arian Foster
What’s at stake?
An early division win would only add to the lead the Pats have taken in the AFC East and would give them some breathing room while they deal with injuries. The more early wins they can stack up, the better chance they have of locking up some home field advantage early on (Spoiler Alert: The Patriots are probably going to make the playoffs), giving them a chance to rest some important players who they cannot afford to lose come playoff time.
Early thoughts:
-Division games are always important, no matter how you slice it. Jimmy G gets to take this one at home this time.
-As far as I’m concerned, NE can do anything after that win in the desert. It would be easy for the team to get complacent after a game like that, but Belichick would ignore smack talk from Derrick Mason before he would let that happen.
-The Dolphins have a talented WR duo with Kenny Stills and Jarvis Landry, a rejuvenated Arian Foster who still has some wiggle, and an (older) strong DL filled with big names.
-While there is talent on the roster, it is certainly nothing this team cannot overcome.
Happy Week 2! Aren’t you glad football is back?