{"id":9980,"date":"2016-12-30T08:30:24","date_gmt":"2016-12-30T13:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=9980"},"modified":"2016-12-30T07:02:28","modified_gmt":"2016-12-30T12:02:28","slug":"patriots-dolphins-ii-keys-razors-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2016\/12\/30\/patriots-dolphins-ii-keys-razors-edge\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots – Dolphins II Keys, Who Has the Razor’s Edge?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New England Patriots<\/strong><\/a> will play their final game of the 2016 NFL regular season on the road against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at 1 p.m.<\/p>\n

The game will be broadcast by CBS and can be seen locally on WBZ with Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts handling the play-by-play and analysis duties. Evan Washburn will work the sidelines. The game will also be aired on the Patriots flagship radio station 98.5 The Sports Hub with Bob Socci and Scott Zolak on the call, produced by Marc Capello.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Patriots<\/strong>\u00a0(13-2) defeated the New York Jets on Christmas Eve in Foxboro 41-3. Tom Brady threw for three first half touchdowns and LeGarrette Blount rushed for two touchdowns giving him a league-leading 17 on the season. The defense forced four more turnovers.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Dolphins<\/strong>\u00a0(10-5) beat the Buffalo Bills 34-31 in overtime. Jay Ajayi rushed for 206 yards and a touchdown, his third 200-yard game of the season. QB Matt Moore filling in for the injured Ryan Tannehill threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns.<\/p>\n

We here at\u00a0PatsFans.com<\/a>\u00a0are continuing our \u201cRazor\u2019s Edge\u201d\u00a0column in 2016 to give some quick\u00a0analysis on some of the key matchups of the game and what you can look for in how the game plays out.<\/p>\n

Series History:<\/strong>
\nThe Patriots and Dolphins will be meeting for the 103rd<\/sup>\u00a0time with Miami holding an all-time 53-49 edge. The Dolphins hold a big all-time edge in home games 36-15. The last three years have seen the series split along home lines with each team holding serve on their home field.<\/p>\n

The Patriots jumped out to a big lead in Week 2 but then had to hold on for a\u00a031-24 victory with Jimmy Garoppolo starting at QB before being injured and giving way to Jacoby Brissett.<\/p>\n

Here is a look at some of the key matchups and who holds the Razor\u2019s Edge.<\/p>\n

First up is the Patriots offense:<\/p>\n

Patriots RBs vs Dolphins Front Seven –\u00a0Razor\u2019s Edge New England
\n<\/em><\/strong>The Patriots running game has had a resurgence in 2016 led by LeGarrette Blount who has rushed for 1110 yards and 17 touchdowns. With Dion Lewis back and looking like himself, it gives the Patriots a much better, varied rushing attack that can use different looks. The offensive line has much to do with their success, having played much better this season and keeping continuity.<\/p>\n

Miami has one of the worst run defenses in the league allowing 141.8 yards per game and a league-worst 4.9 yards per rush. With a banged up defense missing S Reshad Jones and Isa Abdul-Quddus, they Dolphins have struggled all season at stopping the run.<\/p>\n

Look for the Patriots to mix in a steady diet of Blount and Lewis keeping things varied in the running game. Force the Dolphins to cheat up in run support at the second level which will open up passing lanes. The Patriots should have good success and be patient running the ball this week.<\/p>\n

Patriots WRs vs Dolphins Secondary –\u00a0Razor\u2019s Edge New England
\n<\/em><\/strong>The Patriots passing game has been very effective all season and even without Rob Gronkowski, they have plenty of weapons that they can bring to bear against anyone. It starts as always with Julian Edelman but with Chris Hogan and the newly signed Michael Floyd, Brady has weapons that he can use outside the numbers. Malcolm Mitchell has missed practice this week with a knee injury and his availability will bear watching.<\/p>\n

TE Martellus Bennett and running backs James White and Lewis put more pressure on opponents\u2019 linebackers and create mismatches when they spread the field.<\/p>\n

Miami has been good against the pass creating 16 turnovers via interception. They get good pressure on the QB with a resurgent Cameron Wake and inside with Ndamukong Suh. But injuries in the back seven with Jones and now Abdul-Quddus out at safety, Byron Maxwell out again at corner and Jelani Jenkins at LB will bear watching.<\/p>\n

Look for Brady to lean on the running game to open up the passing game this week. Edelman will do the heavy lifting down low and Bennett who had a big game in the first meeting will definitely get a few looks as they attack the seams of the defense. As always, Brady\u2019s protection is the key but the offensive line has been much better in 2016.<\/p>\n

Next up the Miami offense:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dolphins RBs vs NE Front Seven –\u00a0Razor\u2019s Edge Miami
\n<\/em><\/strong>The Dolphins let Lamar Miller walk in free agency and then brought in Arian Foster who it was learned had one injury too many and he retired mid-season. That opened the door for the talented Jay Ajayi to step in and he\u2019s been terrific. He\u2019s backed up by the very capable Kenyon Drake to give the Dolphins a solid 1-2 punch in the running game.<\/p>\n

The Patriots have been excellent against the run allowing just 89.5 yards per game. The big men inside, Alan Branch, Malcom Brown and Vincent Valentine have slowed things at the point of attack allowing the linebackers to make the stops. They\u2019ve also done a great job of setting the edge and forcing the runners back inside where the pursuit can be brought up in support.<\/p>\n

The Pats may be without LB Dont\u2019a Hightower again as he\u2019s recovering from a knee issue. Even without Hightower, the Patriots will look at gap control to stop Ajayi from being a big factor in the running game. Elandon Roberts, Kyle Van Noy, and Shea McClellin must step up. The game plan here is to stop the run and force Moore into beating them.<\/p>\n

Look for Miami to have some success this week, Ajayi went thru a lull for a few weeks before re-igniting the running game with a 200+ yard effort a week ago. The plan is just not allowing him to blow open the game with big runs as he did against Buffalo. Branch will be the key guy to watch this week inside.<\/p>\n

Dolphins WRs vs NE Secondary-\u00a0Razor\u2019s Edge New England
\n<\/em><\/strong>Ryan Tannehill is still injured and it is hoped he will be ready for the playoffs. Matt Moore had hadn\u2019t started in 4 years stepped in and has played well the past few weeks. He has good weapons in the passing game with Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker and deep threat Kenny Stills outside. They can also use both Ajayi and Drake out of the backfield with Dion Sims at tight end.<\/p>\n

The Patriots have solidified their secondary since the teams first met in Foxboro. Eric Rowe has moved into the second corner slot with Logan Ryan playing the slot where he\u2019s been very solid. The safeties have been very good and the coverage from the linebackers since Van Noy has been brought on board has improved as well as generating some turnovers. The pass rush, moribund for much of the year has gotten better with Matt Patricia getting creative in mixing things up.<\/p>\n

The Patriots will try to limit the effectiveness of Landry, Miami\u2019s biggest target this season and force Moore to look elsewhere to beat them. How well they matchup against Parker and Stills will go a long way in deciding who wins this matchup. Look for Patricia to dial it up just a bit more this week as they\u2019ll try to force Moore into making a mistake.<\/p>\n

Miami will get their yards, but the key will be tightening things up on the New England side of the field and limiting their points, something the defense has been good at all season.<\/p>\n

Special Teams-<\/strong>\u00a0Razor\u2019s Edge Miami<\/em><\/strong>
\n<\/em>The Patriots special teams have been much better in the past few weeks. Stephen Gostkowski has worked thru his earlier problems and back to being his reliable self. Punter Ryan Allen has been excellent at pinning opponents inside the 20-yard line. The coverage units have been solid. But the return game is stuck in neutral. Rookie Cyrus Jones\u2019 struggles continue although he fielded a punt cleanly against the Jets.<\/p>\n

Miami has Andrew Franks kicking and he\u2019s only been 2-5 in field goals from 40+ yards. Second-year punter Matt Darr has been good at pinning opponents inside the 20. Their coverage units have been very solid led by STs aces Walt Aikens and Michael Thomas. But they get the nod because of the return game. Drake and Jakeem Grant had kick returns of 39 and 41 yards last week, and that alone can flip field position.<\/p>\n

Next up, who wins and why\u2026<\/p>\n

Prediction:
\n<\/strong>This game is a divisional matchup so the teams know each other well. And with both teams in the playoffs, this should be a good, tough, hard-fought game. The Patriots always have issues in the heat of Miami and have lost their last three there including last season\u2019s finale, a 20-10 loss.<\/p>\n

Both teams are going all-in and not holding back, the Patriots need this game to secure home field advantage and Miami still has a shot at the #5 seed. Look for the running games of both teams to get plenty of work in this one.<\/p>\n

Moore will have his work cut out for him this week, although being at home is a distinct advantage. Brady will be looking to get the Patriots keeping Miami\u2019s defense off-balance. Thomas, at safety, is the key for Miami this week. With a bunch of people banged up, they\u2019ll need him to have a big game and force a turnover against a quarterback who has had just two this season.<\/p>\n

The Patriots are still just a bit better than Miami on both sides of the ball and they\u2019ll run their road record to 8-0 this season with a hard-fought win. Blount and Lewis have big days and it is another close one but the Pats get their home field this year in South Beach. \u00a0Patriots 24-20<\/strong><\/p>\n

Follow me on Twitter\u00a0<\/em>@SteveB7SFG<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or email me at\u00a0<\/em>stevebpatsfans@gmail.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Listen to our\u00a0<\/em>Patriots 4th<\/sup>\u00a0and 2<\/em><\/a>\u00a0podcasts on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and I from\u00a0<\/em>PatsFans.com<\/em><\/a>\u00a0discuss the latest Patriots news Wednesdays at 12 noon.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Patriots to mix in Blount and Lewis keeping things varied in the running game. 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