Patriots – Dolphins II, Key Matchups; Who Has the Razor’s Edge?
(PHOTO: Stew Milne - USA TODAY Sports) 🕑 Read Time: 6 minutes
Posted Under: Patriots Commentary
(PHOTO: Stew Milne - USA TODAY Sports) 🕑 Read Time: 6 minutes
New England Patriots > Patriots Blog
(PHOTO: Stew Milne - USA TODAY Sports) Patriots RBs vs Dolphins Front Seven – Razor’s Edge Miami
The Dolphins have a very strong defensive line, which is one of the strengths of their team. Ndamukong Suh is a guy who can disrupt things inside but he’s been a disappointment this season overall. Which Suh will show up on Sunday? The Dolphins rush defense has been awful in 2015 allowing more than 129 yards per game. If the Dolphins have packed it in for the winter, then the Patriots could gain an edge.
The Patriots due to injuries to the offensive line and the running backs have not been able to run the football with any consistency this season. This week Steven Jackson and Brandon Bolden will split the carries as they utilize James White primarily as a pass catcher.
It would be nice to see Jackson get some extended reps this week as he tries to recapture his form. He looked pretty close to his 2014 form last week, not the dominant guy from a decade ago but not a guy who was finished either. That is good news, now they need to get him the ball.
Patriots WRs vs Dolphins Secondary – Razor’s Edge New England
Brady has been victimized by injuries to his skill position players and a carousel at the offensive line where the starters not only change week to week but frequently in-game as well.
With a fully loaded receiver core Brady would pick this unit apart, much like he did in October. But with Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola on the shelf, the unit has struggled. Look for Rob Gronkowski to be a big target again versus this Miami weak secondary. Gronk had a big game in October and they’ll try to isolate him on the linebackers which is a mismatch.
Miami’s pass defense is among the worst they’ve fielded in quite some time. Brent Grimes has struggled in 2015 after two Pro Bowl seasons and has suffered from off field issues as well as his wife Miko keeps making waves on social media which has turned into a distraction. But overall the Dolphins don’t cover well (with the exception of Reshad Jones) and don’t get after the passer well, especially since Cameron Wake went down in the earlier Pats game.
Next up the Dolphins offense:
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