MORSE: Preview of Patriots at Miami Dolphins Game II
Follow us
Follow Us
🕑 Read Time: 9 minutes
Posted Under: Patriots News
HOME > Patriots Blog > Patriots News
The Patriots travel to Miami to play in their house of horrors that is Hard Rock Stadium.
The Dolphins Offense ranks 22nd with 319 yards per game. Passing they rank 23rd with 219 yards a game and Rushing they gain 197 yard a game which ranks 11th in the league. Scoring they have put up 19.1 points per game. In the Red Zone they rank 20th at 55.2%. And on Third Down they rank 9th with a 42.6% conversion rate. This while Tua Tagovailoa was oit for 4 games with a concussion. Since his return 4 games ago they have been one of the top offense in the league averaging over 27 points a game. Tagovailoa has thrown 7 TDs with just 1 INT over that stretch.
| Starter | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |
| QB | Tua Tagovailoa | Skylar Thompson | Tyler Huntley IR | – |
| RB | De’Von Achane | Raheem Mostert | Jaylen Wright | Jeff Wilson |
| WR | Tyreek Hill | Malik Washington | Braxton Berrios IR | Anthony Schwartz IR |
| WR | Jaylen Waddle | River Cracraft | Tahj Washington IR | |
| WR | Odell Beckham | Dee Eskridge | Grant DuBose IR | |
| TE | Jonnu Smith | Julian Hill | Durham Smythe | Jack Stoll |
| FB | Alec Ingold Q | – | ||
| LT | Terron Armstead | Patrick Paul | – | |
| LG | Robert Jones | Isaiah Wynn O | Kion Smith IR | – |
| C | Aaron Brewer | Andrew Meyer | ||
| RG | Liam Eichenberg | Lester Cotton | ||
| RT | Kendall Lamm | Austin Jackson IR | – | – |
Tagovailoa is one good hit away from ending his career. This concussion was generated by Tagovailoa himself, running headlong into a defender. It was not the defender’s fault, nor was it an illegal hit. Over the last 4 games he has completed 97 of 130 passes for a nearly 75% completion percentage. Bad news for the Patriots. Skylar Thompson is the back while Tyler Huntley who beat the Pats earlier this year in Foxboro, is on IR.
De’Von Archane is one of the best backs in the league. His current PFF ranking is #11. He has 122 carries for 530 yards and 3 TDs without a fumble. As a receiver he has 46 catches on 51 targets and another 3 TDs. I thought early in the season he received too many touches for a back that is as small as he is. He stands 5’8” and 188-pounds. The 2023 3rd round pick out of Texas A&M is lightning fast, as he ran a 4.32 40-yard dash at the combine. Raheem Mostert came over from San Fran and is a more than capable backup. Mostert is entering his 10th year in the league after being a 2015 Undrafted Free Agent was signed originally by Philadelphia. He is also very fast at 4.38 40 and a 6.90 3-cone drill. He stands 5’10” 205 pounds. Jaylen Wright was drafted in the 4th round out of Tennessee in this year’s draft. The 5’ 11” 210 pound back has 52 rushes for 215 yards, a 4.1 YPC and no TDs. His PFF rating is 74.5 is the highest of any rookie this year and good for 20th in the league.
The Wide Receiver room is loaded in Miami. Start with Tyreek Hill, the mercurial wideout has a 4.29 40-yard dash speed. Hill lasted until the 5th round (165) of the 2016 draft, taken by KC. He pleaded guilty to a Domestic Abuse charge which caused him to drop in the draft. The 5’10” 191-pound receiver out of West Alabama has 44 catches on 68 targets for 523 yards for an 11.8 YPC and 3 TDs. His PFF rating is 70.8 good for a 56 rank. Jalen Waddle is no slouch either. The 2021 1st round pick (#6) out of Alabama has 33 catches on 47 targets for 404 yards, 12.3 YPC and 1 TD. He stands 5’10” 182-pounds and ran a 4.38 40-yard dash. His PFF rating is 63.3 and he is ranked 165. Miami also has Odell Bechkam as their 3rd receiver. Entering his 11th season in the league, Beckham is not the player he once was but is still very dangerous with his 4.38 speed. This season Beckham has 7 catches on just 12 targets for 45 yards. His PFF rating is 51.3 and is ranked 185. Emerging is Malik Washington a wideout drafted this year in the 6th round (185) out of Virginia. Washington stands just 5’8” 194 pounds and runs a 4.47 40-yard dash. On the season he has 7 catches on 9 targets for 45 yards. His PFF rating is 55 for 157th. D’Wayne Eskridge is an interesting player. The 2021 2nd round pick (#56) out of Western Michigan by Seattle was waived at the final cutdown this year and then signed with Miami’s Practice Squad. He has played just 4 games this year.
The Tight End room is led by former Patriot Jonnu Smith with 39 catches on 52 targets for 448 yards which is 2nd on the team. Smith is now playing like the player the Pats thought they were getting. Durham Smythe is a capable backup and good blocker. He has just 5 catches on 10 targets this season, and only three since we last played Miami in week 5. Julian Hill has 9 catches on 14 targets for 73 yards.
Miami Is one of the few teams that still employ a Fullback. Alec Ingold is their fullback and he has 9 carries for 13 yards and a TD, mostly on short yardage. He is very effective coming out of the backfield as a receiver with 7 catches on 8 targets. Ingold is questionable this week but is expected to play.
According to Warren Sharp the Dolphins Offensive line is ranked #25 in the league. LT Terron Armstead is the rock of the Dolphins line. The 2013 3rd (#75) round pick of the New Orleans Sanits was a 2nd team All Pro and 5 times Pro Bowl selection. The 6’5” 305-pound Tackle out of Arkansas-Pine Bluff ran a very impressive 4.71 40-yard dash. Armstead has an outstanding rating from PFF at 90.8, good for 2nd in the league. He has been listed as Did Not Practice in both Wednesday and Thursday practices. This may jsu tbe rest for the veteran player.
Rookie backup Patrick Paul out of Houston has struggled (as most rookie O-lineman have) when called upon to replace Armstead. Left Guard is Robert Jones, a former UDFA (2021) from Middle Tennessee. Jones missed the 1st six games of 2024 and became a full-time starter in game 14 and finished as the starting guard in the last 4 games. This year he has started all the game at LG with a 62.1 PFF rating and a rank of 52.
At Center Aaron Brewer mans the position. Brewer signed as a UDFA with Tennessee in 2020 out of Texas State. The 6’1”, 295-pound OL, started 17 games at LG in 2022 and then switched to C in 2023 and started all 17 games. Brewer has an outstanding 78.2 rating from PFF good for 8th in the league. Right Guard is veteran Liam Eichenberg who has 48 career starts. The 6’6” 302-pound 2nd round pick (#42) was taken in 2021 out of Notre Dame. His PFF grade is 53.7 good for 19th in the league. Right Tackle Austin Jackson is on IR. He has been replaced by Kendall Lamm. He was an Undrafted Fre Agent signed by Houston after the 2015 draft out of Appalachian State. The 6’ 5” 308-pound tackle has started the last two games at Right Tackle. In his career, Lamm played 106 games with 39 starts. PFF has him with a 68.8 grade ranked 39th in the league.
The Dolphins are a top 10 Defense. They are a very consistent and well-rounded defense. They rank 8th in Yards Per Game (308), 10th in Pass Defense with 199 yards in the air, and rush defense is 10th with 109 yards a game. Scoring defense, they are giving up 22.1 points a game which is 14th, Red Zone they are 8th at 48.3 % and on 3rd Down they are 9th at 35%. Formidable defense and the Patriots have to play in the Miami heat in their dark colored jerseys.
| Starter | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |
| LDE | Zach Sieler | Neil Farrell | – | – |
| NT | Benito Jones | – | – | – |
| RDE | Calais Campbell | Da’Shawn Hand | ||
| WLB | Emmanuel Ogbah | Tyus Bowser | Mohamed Kamara | Cameron Goode O |
| LILB | Anthony Walker | Tyrel Dodson | Channing Tindall | |
| RILB | Jordyn Brooks | Duke Riley | – | – |
| SLB | Chop Robinson | Quinton Bell | Bradley Chubb O | Cam Brown IR |
| LCB | Kendall Fuller Q | Cam Smith | Ethan Bonner | |
| SS | Jordan Poyer | Elijah Campbell | – | |
| FS | Jevon Holland | Marcus Maye | Patrick McMorris IR | |
| RCB | Jalen Ramsey | Storm Duck | Siran Neal | |
| NB | Kader Kohou | – | – |
LDE Zach Sieler enters his 7th season and has 20 sacks for his career. The 2018 7th round pick (#234) by Baltimore out of Ferris State has made quite a career for himself. He came out for the draft as a 288-pound DL but ran a 4.87 40-yard dash which is phenomenal. He has started 8 t games for Miami this year and has 27 tackles and 3 sacks. His PFF rating is 73.3 good for 16th among Interior Down Lineman. Benito Jones is the NT. The 6’1” 335-pound space eater signed with Miami out of Ole Miss after not being drafted in 2020. He played the last two years for The Lions where he started 15 of 17 games last season. This year for the Dolphins he has started all 10 games with only 10 tackles and no sacks.
Calais Campbell may be 38 but he is still a force on the DL. At 6’8” 307 pounds he takes up space. The 2008 2nd round pick (#50) by Arizona out of the University of Miami was selected as the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2019. He is an All-Pro 1st team in 2019 and 2 x second team (2014, 2016), 6 x Pro Bowl and was named to the NFL’s All Decade Team. Not the dominating player he once was, but he has shown no signs of slowing down with 33 tackles this year to go along with 4 sacks. Campbell has been listed as Did Not Practice in both Wednesday and Thursday practices. They may be just resting the veteran.
The primary backup is Da’Shawn Hand a 6’4” 307-pound DE from Alabama. He was taken in the 2018 draft in the 4th round (#114) by Detroit. He has bounced around a bit playing for his now 4th team. On the year he has 10 tackles and a sack. Jaelan Phillips is on IR and will be out for the remainder of the season.
The 2016 Emmanuel Ogbah was a 20216 2nd round pick by Cleveland out of Oklahoma State. He has 26 tackles and 3 sacks so far. His PFF rating is 56.8 good for 132nd amongst Edge rushers. Anthony Walker is a capable inside linebacker that has a history of injury problems and has bounced around the league. The 29-year-old is 6’1” 235-pounds. He was taken in the 2017 draft in the 5th round (#161) out of Northwestern. His PFF rating is 55.9 good for 122nd among Linebackers.
Jordyn Brooks leads the team in tackles with 86 and 1 sack. The inside backer was a 2020 1st round pick of Seattle (#27) was the NFL leader in solo tackles in 2021. He stands just 6’ tall and 240-pound but runs a 4.54 40-yard dash. He was 2nd Team All-American playing for Texas Tech. His PFF rating is 67.7 good for 47th among Linebackers. Chop Robinson is a very exciting rookie out of Penn State. He was taken by Miami in the 1st Round (# 21) this year. The 6’3”, 254-pound outside backer can do it all and ran a blistering 4.48 40-yard dash. He has started slow, with only 4 tackles in 4 games. His 1st start was against the Pats in week 5 and has 14 tackles and 2 sacks on the season. Robinson replaced Bradley Chubb who is listed as Out for Sunday. His PFF rating is 64.4 and is 85th amongst the Edge players.
Duke Riley has disappointed since being drafted in the 3rd round of the 2017 draft (#75) out of LSU. The 30-year-old is 6’, 227-pounds and ran a 4.58 40-yard dash and a 6.89 3-cone drill. David Long is a backup ILB. Long can be exploited. He stands just 5’ 11”, 225-pounds draft pick of the Titans was taken in the 6th round (#188) out of the West Virginia University. In 2023 he started all 17 games but only had 64 tackles and one sack. His 40-time was pretty bad at 4.81.
In the secondary Left Corner is played by Kendal Fuller. He is listed as Questionable for Sunday. He Did Not Participate (DNP) in either Wednesday or Thursday. The 2016 3rd round selection (#84) by Washington is a good cover corner but weak against the run. He stands 5’11”, 198-pounds and runs an estimated 4.48 40-yard dash. He was unable to run at the combine or Pro Day due to a knee injury his Senior season at Virginia Tech. Fuller has a 69.5 PFF rating, for a 52 rank. If Fuller can’t go, then Cam Smith will take his place.
The 33-year-old Jordan Poyer signed with Miami after Buffalo decided to part ways with him after 7 years. The 6’, 191-pound safety was a 7th round (#218) selection out of Oregon State by Philadelphia. He made the All-Pro 1st team in 2021 and the Pro Bowl in 2022. He is the epitome of a self-made player. How much does he have left at age 33? PFF graded him 55.7 good for 116th rank. Jevon Holland is very good Strong Safety. PFF had him with a 66.4 grade for the season ranked 48th. The 2020 2nd round pick (#36) by Miami out of Oregon missed 7 games last season. In three years, he has started 40 of 44 games he has played in. He had 96 tackles in 2022 when he played all 17 games.
Jalen Ramsey is the LCB. The 29-year-old was a 2017 1st round pick of the LA Rams (#5). He didn’t disappoint, by being named All Pro 1st team 5 times and a Pro Bowler every year he has been in the league (7 times). He is one of the premiere players in the league and a shutdown corner. At 6’1”, 208-pounds he can cover big receivers as well as small quick ones. His overall grade from PFF for the year is 84.3, good for 4th at the CB position. Kader Kohou is a 5’10” 197-pound DB out of Texas A&M-Commerce. He was signed by Miami following the 2022 draft as an UnDrafted Free Agent. He has worked himself into the Nickel Back position. His PFF rating is 53.6 for a 160th rank.
| Starter | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |
| PK | Jason Sanders | – | – | – |
| P | Jake Bailey | – | – | – |
| H | Bailey | |||
| PR | Malik Washington | Tyreek Hill | Dee Eskridge | River Cracraft |
| KR | Malik Washington | Dee Eskridge | Anthony Schwartz IR | Braxton Berrios IR |
| LS | Blake Ferguson O |
Jason Sanders is ranked 10th in kicker scoring. He is 19 of 23 kicks missing 3 of 5 between 40-49 and 6 of 8 over 50 yards.
Jake Bailey is ranked 25th in punting with a 46.6 average and is 26th with 40.0 Net average.
Malik Washington will be returning kicks with both Berrios and Schwartz out. He is currently ranked 35th but has limited stats.
Blake Ferguson has been on Non-Football Injury list the last 4 weeks. He could be removed and activated for the game against the Patriots. If he is not activated the former patriot Tucker Addington was signed to the Practice Squad could be a call up. Follow this status all week.
Miami coach Mike McDaniel is a very unlikable character. He is a young snooty punk. Last week he called Tua Tagovailoa to the sideline on a 4th down play and told him to make it look like we are changing the play. They were trying to draw the Raiders offsides and Maxx Crosby bit. You can see McDaniel yelling at Crosby telling him that we didn’t have a play called. What a jerk.
From our archive - this week all-time:
April 10 - April 25 (Through 26yrs)
Join 2,000+ fans getting exclusive stats, analysis, and insights delivered straight to their inbox every week. Never miss a play.
