Patriots – Dolphins, Who Has the Razor’s Edge? Key Matchups
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Dolphins RBs vs NE Front Seven – Razor’s Edge Miami
The Dolphins Lamar Miller for some strange reason was only getting around 9-10 touches a game under Joe Philbin. Now he’s getting the ball a lot more and the offense is thriving. He had 19 carries for 113 yards in Tennessee and 175 yards including a 85 yard touchdown run against Houston. Stopping him will be priority number 1.
The Patriots have been susceptible against the run this season, but on Sunday against the Jets, they held New York’s running backs to 60 yards rushing and a 2.5 yard per carry average. The big men up front, Alan Branch and Dominique Easley both were outstanding. Linebackers Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins were all over the field and shooting the gaps, defeating the play at the point of attack. They’ll need that kind of game on Thursday.
Dolphins WRs vs NE Secondary- Razor’s Edge New England
Ryan Tannehill has thrived in the past two games under Dan Campbell. The simplified offense with a balanced rushing and passing attack has been outstanding scoring 79 points in two weeks. With a bevy weapons to throw to, Tannehill’s favorite two targets have been Jarvis Landry and Rishard Matthews.
Both had big plays through the air last week with Landry going 50 yards for a touchdown where he seemingly made every member of the Texans whiff on a tackle while heading to the end zone. Miller added a 54-yard touchdown reception as well. Tannehill completed 25 passes in a row before his final attempt on the day was dropped.
The Patriots will need to contain Tannehill’s rollouts to the edge where he has the option to run or pass and bring pressure from the edge as well as up the middle. The Dolphins guards are susceptible to pressure and Hightower could play a key role here in blitzing. The secondary will have to stop the big play this week and force Tannehill into making the shorter throws where they’ll have to move down the field in smaller chunks.
Special Teams- Razor’s Edge New England
The Patriots have two of the best kickers in the business with Stephen Gostkowski and Ryan Allen. Gostkowski has made 15 straight field goals this season and hasn’t missed a PAT since his rookie season of 2006. That’s pretty reliable. Allen is averaging 46.6 yards per punt with 42.9 yards net. Danny Amendola and Edelman return kicks for the Patriots and have been solid. The Patriots coverage units with Matthew Slater have been very solid this season.
Miami has two rookies in the kicking game; punter Matt Darr is averaging 48.3 yards per punt and kicker Andrew Franks. The Dolphins have one of the more dangerous returners in the game with the electric Landry returning punts and he’s averaging 13.4 yards per punt return. Landry and Williams return kickoffs.
Next up, our prediction on who wins and why…
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