Thank you Houston! With their second consecutive loss, the Houston Texans opened up the door for the Patriots to walk into the second seed in the AFC. All they had to do was take care of Miami and the spot was as good as theirs. Well, they did their part and squished the fish with a final score of 28-0. Now the playoff picture is clear and all the Patriots have to do is focus on getting healthy.

The Patriots locked up the bye which means Aqib Talib and the rest of the banged up Pats have an extra week to heal. (FILE:USPresswire)

As for Houston, the team once praised as the best in the AFC has hit a stopping point as the regular season has drawn to a close. This week they lost to a fired up Indianapolis Colts team 28-16 and last week they took a beat down from the Minnesota Vikings 23-6. In the second half of the season they’ve gone 5-3 with two of their wins coming in overtime. Matt Schaub has thrown 10 interceptions in the past eight games after having only thrown four in the first half of the season. This team seems to be on the downward trend which is not where you want to be come playoffs.

The Patriots on the other hand seem to be on the right path once again. Against Miami, the Patriots finally came out with some spirit and got on the offensive early. They dominated the first half and were able to skate by with a lackluster third quarter and returned the “Gronk spike” to Foxboro in the fourth with a Rob Gronkowski touchdown. The front seven looked like it was playing as one cohesive unit and the secondary did their job to allow for several coverage sacks. In all the defense sacked Ryan Tannehill seven times for a total loss of 26 yards. The competition wasn’t fierce offensively but it was good for this unit to build some rhythm and have success especially with the bye next week.

Houston gave the Pats next week off and now they can also help put them in the best position to win their first playoff game. The Denver Broncos are raging hot and it is most likely that the AFC Championship will go through Mile High City. But before we get there, the divisional round needs to be won. What the Texans can do for the Patriots this week is take care of the Cincinnati Bengals. The AFC North is a strong division and the Benglas have one of the better defenses in the league. They would be a tough matchup for a Patriots team that has seemed to have a little trouble getting into the endzone lately. Especially considering their physical style of play, the ideal situation would be for the Texans to come back to Foxboro.

While the cards do not lie solely in the hands of the Texans, they still play a valuable role in the Patriots’ playoff success. All the Patriots need is for Andrew Luck and the Colts to carry on #chuckstrong and beat the Ravens and the Texans to get back on track against the Bengals. But even if it doesn’t work out as planned, by the time their first game comes around, this team will be healthy and ready for whoever shows up at their door.

With the final game of the regular season upon us and two weeks of bad play behind them, it’s about time for the Patriots to get up heading into Sunday’s game against Miami.

There is no time like the present and the hot hand usually fares best come playoff time. This week’s matchup against the Miami Dolphins is the Pats last chance to get their play in order. They’ll need to come out hard and strong to show the league they’re not sliding their way into the postseason.

The Patriots may once again rely on plays from Danny Woodhead to spark some emotion against Miami. (FILE:USPresswire)

After their painful and ugly win against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week, Tom Brady lit up the locker room with a few choice words. In his post game presser he was obviously upset as well he should have been. His team nearly lost to one of the worst teams in the league and their win came down to the last play of the game. Had the wind shifted and the odds not been in their favor, we could have had a much different week in Patriots media coverage.

With this week’s game now flexed to a 4:25pm start, the weather will be even colder for the Dolphins. They’ll need to layer up and will be stuck in Foxboro a little longer than they had originally anticipated. Once again they’re a team with nothing to play for and nothing to lose which could spell trouble for the Patriots. The Jaguars clearly didn’t sit back and let the Pats roll right over them. Head coach Mike Mularkey even went so far as to pass out baseball bats encouraging a physical game. If there is one obvious weakness with this Patriots team it is their trouble against physical teams. San Francisco hit them hard and we know how that ended, so hopefully this week they’ll be ready should the Dolphins decide to leave everything on the field.

20 Patriots are questionable for this matchup and that leaves me wondering if Bill Belichick is once again going to test his roster depth. I wouldn’t be surprised, but given the Brady blowup and the fact that you want to be playing your best football heading into the playoffs, it seems dangerous. Key players like Logan Mankins, Chandler Jones, Aaron Hernandez are on the list. Not to mention Aqib Talib who has been suffering through a hip injury from the Sunday Night game. He’s making progress but still will most likely sit out. Dealing with injuries and the playoffs is a tough job for Belichick. He’s going to have to strike a balance to keep his core healthy but also get the team rolling with improved play.

The past two weeks have been brutal for patsnation. Some are even saying the Patriots may have peaked too early. Their performance against the Houston Texans was something to write home about and since then, they’ve fallen flat.

Miami poses an interesting situation for this team. They have two choices, they can either pull on their big boy pants and play like the contenders we know them to be, or they can slide through, again, and make preparing for the playoffs that much harder.

For the Patriots, Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars was an opportunity to get back on track and roll into the playoffs playing solid football. Unfortunately, one of the worst teams in the NFL nearly got the better of them and they snuck out with a 23-16 win.

Tom Brady did not look his best in Jacksonville as the offense struggled to put points on the board. (FILE:USPresswire)

Mistakes that took center stage against the San Francisco 49ers popped back up again and the defense allowed the Jaguars to score a touchdown on their opening drive for the first time since week 5 of 2011. Talk about a breakdown. But it wasn’t just the defense that had miscues early on, the offense was a part of the problem too. Tom Brady threw 2 interceptions, the first of which was a tipped ball and the second was a floated pass to Brandon Lloyd. Lloyd appeared to make no effort to prevent Derek Cox from getting a hold of the ball. Brady was later shown on the sidelines berating his offense, as he should, and finally in the second half things started to pick up.

This lackluster performance raises questions about the Patriots heading into their final game of the regular season. It’s no doubt the secondary was a lesser unit this week as it featured the likes of Marquice Cole and Tracy White who both had five tackles. And with Aqib Talib still battling a hip injury, this newly formed group didn’t do much to show they can rise to the occasion. Talib was seen grabbing his hip every time he was on the field on Sunday so it will be interesting to see if Bill Belichick decides to downgrade him to out next week as a precaution. Chad Henne threw the ball 51 times for 348 yards and was only sacked once. As they tend to do, this defense made the opposing quarterback look like a superstar at times.

But even with the defensive questions there is some hope in that the front seven held the Jags rushing game to only 93 yards. Granted they were without their leading rusher but a stop is still a stop. Chandler Jones came up big in the fourth quarter with the lone sack and a hit on Henne to force the interception that would end the game. It was great to see his resurgence after remaining relatively quiet since he returned from his ankle injury. So while there is consistency in some areas, in others, especially tackling, there are questions that have yet to be answered.

Offensively, Brady was off to start the game. There seemed to be a disconnect between him and Lloyd until the second half. The biggest question that seems to be out there is if the Patriots know that Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez run the risk of double coverage, why aren’t there more plays that put others in their spot? It has been good to see Michael Hoomanawanui finding his way into the mix and it has made a difference. Welker is old reliable, but especially when the playoffs begin, it will be difficult to have him carry the load. It’s important for Josh McDaniels and Brady to find a way to make guys like Danny Woodhead burn opponents with those short passes that allow them to keep the pace of a no huddle offense.

Jacksonville could have easily turned into a trap game but the Patriots did enough to win. Henne is good against tough competition and the Jaguars gave the Patriots all they could handle. Luckily for the Pats, there are two halves to every game and they were able to come out in the second half as a changed unit. There are still a lot of mistakes to correct and with one more game to test the roster depth, we might be in for a close game against Miami next week.

Sunday’s game for the Patriots is a chance for the team to get back to the high level of play that is expected of them. After Sunday’s disappointing performance against the 49ers, this week during practice the Pats had a lot of mistakes to fix. From fumbles to dropped passes and special team breakdowns it seems like the team could benefit from playing someone like Jacksonville. On Sunday we will see if they got back to basics and are prepared to hold their intensity against lower competition.

Tom Brady took the load last week but this week the Patriots need to restore their balance offensively. (FILE:USPresswire)

Currently the Jaguars at 2-12 are tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for the worst record in the league. Their poor performance this season is supported by one of the worst defenses in the NFL, giving up just over 27 points per game. And their offense isn’t much better scoring just over 15 points per game. With numbers like that, it’s tough for any team to have a winning record.

Running back Maurice Jones-Drew has been ruled out for Sunday and as the leading rusher on the team, that’s going to hurt their game plan. They’re going to have to put the ball in Chad Henne‘s hands and hope for the best. He has thrown five interceptions in his starts since Blaine Gabbert went on IR but has found his groove lately. When going up against tougher competition, take the Houston Texans for example, he has held his own. In that game he threw for 354 yards and four touchdowns but they ultimately loss 43-37 in OT. But against lesser teams, take the New York Jets this time, he hasn’t fared so well. In the Jaguars’ week 14 loss he threw for only 185 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns. The key for the Patriots will be to work together defensively to shut him down.

Aqib Talib seems to have avoided a serious hip injury when he went down on Sunday night and is day to day he told reporters this week. His return to the backfield will be critical for the Patriots to truly limit Henne’s ability to hit his targets. We’ve seen how much improved the defense is with him on the field.

Another way the Patriots will find success on Sunday is by reestablishing their game plan. There were a lot of little mistakes last week that are uncharacteristic of the Patriots, especially for this late in the season and in such an environment as Sunday Night Football. This game is an opportunity to correct the little mistakes and get back on track. They need to restore the balance and really can’t afford to have Tom Brady throwing the ball 65 times. It was no wonder he missed practice this week with a sore shoulder. With Brandon Bolden and Stevan Ridley as the main ball carriers I think they won’t have a problem putting the ball on the ground. There’s no sense in getting ahead of themselves so the Patriots need to keep their focus on correcting the mistakes and getting back on track.

There is potential for a letdown on Sunday but the Patriots are obviously well aware of that. Playing a team that has had as little success as Jacksonville can be a curse as much as it is a blessing. But by getting their balance back and holding strong defensively, there shouldn’t be any problems.

For the Patriots, beating the San Francisco 49ers just wasn’t in the cards. From offense to special teams to coaching, they came up short in every category. Tom Brady was uncharacteristic, matching his season high throwing two interceptions. The last time he did that was against Seattle where they also lost. He completed just over 55% of his passes which is a season low. It seemed like somebody turned off the lights in New England and now it’s time for them to find the switch and turn it back on.

Bill Belichick knows nothing went right on Sunday night. There were too many mistakes in every area of the game. (FILE:USPresswire)

During his Monday morning conference call with the media Bill Belichick echoed his post game thoughts in regards to the team’s overall performance. “I think there were times when we played competitively in the game. We did enough things to make it a competitive game in the end but we had too many things that weren’t good enough. There were things that were done well and there were things that weren’t done well.” He acknowledged that there were bad plays all around, on offense, defense, and special teams. He knows the heart of his team and that was evident during the second half comeback. “I thought we competed, we fought, we hung in there until the end. But we just didn’t perform well enough in any area.” No matter what question he was asked he always circled back to the fact that overall this team did not perform at its top level. There were too many mistakes and they added up to be insurmountable on a rainy night in Foxboro.

A big problem for the Patriots was their inability to execute when it counted. They were just 2-15 on third downs – just 13%. And Brady threw the ball 65 times which is a season high and far from the balance we’ve seen from the Patriots lately. It’s never a good sign to see a quarterback forced to throw the ball that many times and that opens up the door for mistakes and golden opportunities for the opposing team. The 49ers defense was on point on Sunday night making Brady’s job incredibly difficult. Wes Welker was kept at bay with only five receptions on nine targets for 59 yards. Brandon Lloyd on the other hand was the benefactor of Brady’s big throwing night and had himself his best night of the season with 10 receptions for 190 yards but came up short with no touchdowns.

When it came to the running game, well that was stuffed. The Pats rushed for only 95 yards. Any other time this season where the run game has been held down, they have lost. It’s a coincidence I’m sure Belichick is well aware of. Both Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley fumbled the ball and that opened up a potentially dangerous situation offensively. As expected, Belichick did not make any direct comment on the situation stating only that the team works to “try to do everything in the best way, [with] the best technique that we can.” And that is in regards to tackling, blocking, coverage, throwing, whatever it is they are doing. They try to coach correctly and reinforce good techniques. I highly doubt we will see either of these running backs make similar mistakes for the rest of the season.

While this game was out of reach for the Patriots, the 49ers showed how tough they are. Frank Gore is a solid back and Jim Harbaugh is at the top of his coaching game. He has one of the best defenses and rushing offenses in the league and he did not lay down under the pressure of a Sunday night game in Foxboro in December. Now all that’s left for the Patriots to do is pick themselves up, correct their many mistakes and playing winning football.

Heading into their 14th game of the season, the Patriots are a train running right through the AFC. It can be easy to let down as the season rolls to a close but the Patriots have only gotten better as the season has progressed. Not only offensively, but defensively as well. Let’s look at three key components of this team and how they’ve fared from the first half to the second.

Bill Belichick and the Patriots are making the most of every opportunity to move and improve. (FILE:USPresswire)

Tom Brady It’s no surprise that when Brady is at his best, this team is incredibly difficult to stop. This week he was named the AFC player of the week for the third time this season and the 23rd time in his career, which is a new NFL record. Looking at his performance since the Week 9 bye his numbers are only improving. In the first eight games he threw three interceptions but since has only thrown one. He had 16 touchdowns to start the season and in the past five games he’s thrown 13. He is diversifying this team as well. They started the year with a solid run game and seemed content on the short passing game. However his longest past this second half of the season was an 83 yarder to Shane Vereen for a touchdown on Thanksgiving. December is a time where Brady is at his best and with a tough 49er’s defense coming into town, you can bet he’ll be ready for whatever they try to throw his way.

Stevan Ridley The Patriots rushed the ball 276 times in the first half of the season and passed it 323 times. During that time the Pats rushed for 12 touchdowns and averaged 4.3 yards per carry. Step into the second half and they already have eight rushing touchdowns in 158 attempts. For his part Ridley will most likely pass his mark of five rushing touchdowns through the first eight, considering he already has five touchdowns through the previous five games. He has yet to receive a pass this half but that could change as we see the Patriots offense finding new ways to score and adjust each week.

Vince Wilfork The Patriots defense started off the season red hot, hit some speed bumps, but is back to its strong self. The heart and soul of this unit is Wilfork and for the past five games he has been playing out of his mind. He already has two sacks and two stuffs. He has become a force interfering with any opposing quarterback’s rhythm. He’s deflected three passes and forced two fumbles in the second half and has a chance to match his career best of 3.5 sacks if he can manage to get after the quarterback one and a half more times. Without his presence on the field this defense would not be as effective as it is. The cohesiveness and ability for both the front seven and the secondary to work together has picked up as the season has progressed.

Sunday night’s game is once again a big stage for the Patriots to show what they have. The 49ers are in a spot to secure a playoff spot so they’ll be pushing hard. Last week the Texans proved no match and were exposed on every level. This week the Patriots will try to do the same to San Francisco as they continue to improve and reinvent themselves making this train even more difficult to stop.

The stage was set, a Monday Night game in Foxboro, in December. ESPN and every other sports media outlet was analyzing and dissecting what was poised to be a matchup between the top two teams in the AFC. All hands were on deck getting ready for the showdown and the Patriots were fired up. They’ve been in this situation before and it was the Texans job to match their intensity. But I guess somebody should have told them that, because they were lackluster from the start.

Heading into the game these two teams were matched in a way that all you could say was “something’s gotta give”. Turns out that something was the Texans attitude. Their first drive of the game consisted of four plays for fourteen yards and resulted in a punt. Chalk it up to getting the jitters out and settling into the Monday Night Football environment. But that’s pretty much how their offense was all night. They punted seven times and turned the ball over on downs twice. And then on the other side of the field were the Patriots. Their first three drives resulted in three touchdowns and set the tone that they could not be stopped. It was clear they were feeding off an energy unlike anything we’ve seen this season.

Aquib Talib left with a hip injury in the second quarter but the defense adjusted and that made the difference. (FILE:USPresswire)Â

Both of these teams are dealing with injuries but it’s how you adjust to them that matters. For the Patriots’ part they have some missing pieces on offense with Julian Edelman out for the season with a broken foot and Rob Gronkowski out for who knows how much longer with his forearm. So that puts the pressure on the entire team to adjust and step up to the line ready to work. In the past two weeks Aaron Hernandez has done just that. Last night he had eight receptions (tying his game high for the season) for 58 yards and a season best two touchdowns. On his second touchdown of the game, with the Patriots uptempo offense, he was able to walk into the endzone practically untouched as the Houston defense was lagging behind. Brandon Lloyd also was very surprising on MNF. It seems the Patriots have adjusted to losing a weapon in their short passing game and Josh McDaniels has found a way to get back to the glory days of stretching the field. In his first game back, Donte Stallworth also was a recipient of a deep pass that resulted in a touchdown. It must be the routes or the commitment to the long ball but something changed this week and it was more than effective.

On defense the Patriots also made the necessary adjustments. Aquib Talib was playing great and working hard in man coverage which gave the front seven the confidence to blitz. The defense was kicking on all cylinders last night and there were signs of improvement. When Talib went down with a hip injury in the second quarter it could have signaled disaster but the defense stepped up. Not only did Kyle Arrington step into coverage but the linebackers did as well. It was clear that the entire defense adjusted and made the necessary moves to account for the injury. That is something you definitely wouldn’t have seen earlier this season and it takes a certain kind of unit to be able to make quick changes in game. And how could anybody miss Vince Wilfork who once again was playing out of his mind and showed he’s not just a big, immovable object. He continues to push until the play is over and his second efforts make a big difference for this team.

With about eight minutes left in the game it was clear the Texans had had enough. Matt Schaub was completely off the entire game and J.J. Watt looked obviously frustrated on the sidelines. Last night it was the Patriots deflecting passes and not him. He did hit Tom Brady quite a few times but never before he got the ball out. This was a true test for the Texans and their second loss comes at the hands of an elite team. They were blown out but don’t think they won’t be back with a lesson learned.

For the Patriots this was just what they needed heading down the final stretch. It’s one thing to blow out the Jets and completely another to blow out the Texans on Monday Night Football. The stage was big and the Patriots were ready. This win shows they’re ready and have the depth and coaching to make a deep playoff run.

It’s no secret Houston’s J.J. Watt is a candidate for defensive player of the year. It’s only his second season in the league and his improvement is already quite obvious. He’s improved his sack total from 5.5 in 2011 to 16.5 through 12 games this season. He has 60 combined tackles so far compared to 56 in all of last year. A year of experience under his belt has clearly done him some good and now it’s the Patriots’ turn to try and keep him away from their quarterback.

Nate Solder and the entire offensive line are going to have to adjust to handle the pressure J.J. Watt brings. (FILE:USPresswire)

The Texans are riding a six game winning streak, two of which came in overtime. In his past three games, Watt has sacked the quarterback six times. Three of those were on Detroit’s Matt Stafford and that’s not because they have a terrible offensive line. The Lions tie for 11th in the league giving up 25 sacks this season. Watt has just found a way in his previous games this season to get off the line quick and beat his counterpart on the offensive line.

And in addition to his sacks, Watt has also been stuffing offenses across the league. He has stuffed opponents 14 times this season for a total of 35 yards lost. Last week versus Tennessee he stuffed the Titans three times. He’s good at the line and also can get his arms up and defend a pass when he is in the position to. This season he has defended 15 passes, five of which came in the past three games. As the season draws closer to playoffs, Watt is not slowing down and the Patriots better be ready.

Watt is the Texan’s left defensive end and that means he will be lined up against Sebastian Vollmer. Last week especially the offensive line struggled to protect Tom Brady and this week will be no easy task. Their biggest key this week will be to adjust to the pressure from Watt and create opportunities to get first downs. The Texans have only given their opponents 205 first downs this season, that is good enough for third best in the league. The Patriots on the other hand have gotten 334 first downs this season, which puts them atop the league. The same matchup appears when it comes to third down as well. The Patriots are top in the league in converting them, the Texans are top in the league in stopping them. Something will have to give come Monday night.

Watt will be the key for the Texans and the Patriots offensive line will once again be center stage. He is on a tear this season and shows no signs of slowing down. It will be interesting to see who the Patriots put out on the line and how they adjust to the pressure. This will be a good test for them as next week when San Francisco comes to town, they’ll be up against Aldon Smith who leads the league in sacks. The playoffs are closing in and sitting as the second seed in the AFC it is crucial for the Patriots to get a win on MNF and secure a bye to buy some time to get healthy.

On Sunday in Miami a roughed up offensive line had their hands full with a stout Dolphins defense. With Logan Mankins out for third straight game and Dan Connolly battling a back injury, the makeshift line had a difficult time protecting Tom Brady and allowing room for the run. We’ve seen injuries hurt this line before but their inability to protect Brady is cause for concern.

The offensive line is struggling without the presence of Logan Mankins and needs to step up as the season winds down. (FILE:USPresswire)

The o-line gave up four sacks on Sunday and Brady finished the game with a 53.5 QBR which is second worst only to the Patriots loss to the Cardinals in Week 2. He completed just 60% of his passes, only threw one touchdown pass and had an interception on a lofted pass intended for Aaron Hernandez. One has to wonder if he got rattled by the pressure from the defense. It wasn’t until the Patriots last drive of the game that they got into a rhythm. With just about eight and a half minutes left in the game the Pats executed a 77 yard drive down the field that ate up 7:18 and ended in a field goal. The hurry-up offense seemed to have fallen by the wayside as it was slow moving in Miami.

Donald Thomas and Nick Mcdonald weren’t the only ones struggling. Sebastian Vollmer had a difficult time on Sunday with three of Brady’s four sacks coming from the right side of the field. He has been dealing with injuries this season and in the past so his performance on Sunday once again brings up questions about his health. The AFC East is locked up but as Bill Belichick says there’s still a quarter of the season left to play. Dante Scnarecchia will have his hands full this week trying to figure out what went wrong down in South Beach. He is a master at his craft so hopefully by the time Monday night rolls around he will have put a stopgap in the system to give Brady the protection he needs.

As far as the run game is concerned, it was almost nonexistent on Sunday. The Patriots threw for twice as many first downs as they rushed for and in total only rushed for 108 yards. They only averaged 3.4 yards per rush which is abysmal compared to other games this season. It’s as if the run game was at a standstill until the second half. Stevan Ridley carried the ball four times in the first half and 15 times in the second half and got 71 yards rushing the hard way. Shane Vereen meanwhile didn’t get any carries in the first half and finished the game with a modest three carries for 41 yards. It is obvious that the symmetry was off this week and the offense got caught without their run game in full effect.

There is a lot to improve upon moving forward with this offensive line. It is apparent how crucial it is to the offense functioning seamlessly. The Patriots can’t afford to have Brady taking as many hits as he did and the run game’s success is dependent on solid play from the line. This week getting ready for the Houston Texans, the best team in the NFL, it will not only be in Bill that we trust, but it will also be in Dante we trust.

December is the Patriots month. Not just because of the increased chance of snow and because they thrive in the cold, but because of their uncanny ability to win. Since 2001 they have a NFL best record of 41-5 in the month of December. Last year they went 4-0 with wins over Indianapolis, Washington, Denver and Miami en-route to their AFC Championship and Super Bowl appearance. Bill Belichick, while with the Pats, is top among all NFL coaches with one team, winning 43 of his 50 December games. This year the Patriots start the month off with an opponent that also has history on its side.

Bill Belichick is at his best in the month of December and this year should be no different. (FILE:USPresswire)

All time, the Miami Dolphins are 50-43 against the Patriots with the majority of their wins coming at home. But that may be where their momentum stops. Since Belichick became the coach, the Pats are 15-9 against the Dolphins and Tom Brady is 14-6 as a starter. While he owns a dominant record of 53-12 over AFC East opponents, he has given up the most wins to the Fins. It seems that these two teams always struggle against each other no matter how dominant the Patriots appear to be.

History also favors Wes Welker on Sunday. Welker is at his best when playing against his former team catching 75 passes for 981 yards and four touchdowns in nine career games. He averages 8.3 catches a game and 109 receiving yards which are his best against any opponent he has played more than once. He has made some big plays and had some big games against his former team. We can’t forget last season during the season-opener when he had a 99 yard touchdown run at Miami and there’s a strong chance this year he’ll burn the Dolphins for another 100-plus yard game.

It can be argued that Welker wouldn’t be the player he is without Brady. We saw what is was like earlier this season when Welker was discounted from the offense and how vital his presence is. The two are a duo watched closely by all teams in the NFL. With that said, Brady may be coming off one of the best stretches of games in his career. In the past five games he’s completed 64% of his passes with 14 touchdowns and zero interceptions. His hot hand carries the team and if history can repeat itself, another big game should be in store on Sunday.

Miami has the seventh worst offense in the league averaging just over 19 points per game while the Patriots are sitting comfortable in the top spot with 37 points per game. This could be another game that is sealed with turnovers. Brady has thrown only three interception this season whereas rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill, has thrown 12. Through 11 games the Dolphins have given the ball away 21 times and the Pats, well they’ve taken it away 32. It’s quite the mismatch and we could end up seeing another “butt fumble” or two on Sunday.

They say history repeats itself, and given the Patriots December dominance, their first matchup of this month could very well propel them to their eighth AFC East title in nine years.