3 Reasons the Patriots Will Beat the Dolphins on Sunday Night Football
By Tyler Maher
2. The Patriots Have a Better Defense
The sidelines aren’t the only place where the Pats have a distinct advantage. They also have a clear edge on defense, as theirs is one of the best in the NFL.
That was on display last week when New England held Jalen Hurts and co. to just 9 points after the first quarter. The Patriots also tallied 3 sacks, forced a turnover and limited Philadelphia to just 251 total yards, including 170 through the air.
That bodes well for New England’s matchup this week, as the secondary will be tasked with stopping Miami’s impressive aerial attack. If anyone can shut down Tua Tagovailoa and Hill, it’s this group, especially if Jonathan Jones covers Hill.
In six games, Tyreek Hill has seven catches on 16 targets for 88 yards against Jonathan Jones.
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) September 13, 2023
Opposing QBs have a 35.4 passer rating when targeting Hill with the Patriots CB in coverage. https://t.co/Nm9d3bdnzc
Even if Jones (who is banged up) sits out, Belichick has done some solid work gameplanning around Hill before.
On the other hand, there’s not much to fear with the Dolphins’ defense. Miami surrendered 34 points and a whopping 433 yards in Week 1, including 233 on the ground.
The Dolphins let the Chargers run all over them and will likely have a hard time stopping Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott this week.
Mac Jones should also have little trouble moving the ball through the air, considering the Eagles defense that he ended up looking really good against last week is much better than what they have in Miami. More on that in a second though.
On the defensive side of the ball, this is actually a pretty good matchup for the Patriots. If they can use their running game to exploit Miami’s defense and stifle the passing game, they’ll be in good shape to win this one.