Three keys to a Miami Dolphins victory over the New England Patriots
Although the Miami Dolphins fell short on the road against Seattle in week one, the performance gave us reason to believe that Miami may be able to stick around in games against superior competition. This should at least be a little encouraging to Dolphins fans as the team faces another tough challenge this weekend.
Week two will be the Miami Dolphins’ second consecutive game away from home and it takes place in a stadium the team hasn’t found much success in recently as the 0-1 Dolphins travel to Foxboro to play New England.
Despite Tom Brady being suspended and Rob Gronkowski and Nate Solder missing the game due to injury, the Patriots were still able to escape with a victory last Sunday night on the road against the Cardinals, a team that many expected to be a dominant force in the NFC.
Week two will definitely be a test for the Dolphins as they will have to play a near-perfect game in order to win; so here are a few key things Miami will have to do if it wants to even its record at 1-1.
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1. Establish the running game and extend drives
One thing that will help Miami control the ball and dictate the tempo of the game will be establishing a running game and extending drives. The Dolphins were unable to sustain a formidable rushing attack last week against Seattle – totaling just 64 yards on the ground – that made the offense one-dimensional and also played a part in only possessing the ball for 25:28 (fifth worst in the NFL in week one).
If Miami can get Arian Foster – and possibly Jay Ajayi if active this week – going early in the game, the Dolphins will be in an opportune position to extend drives and open up the offense with the actual threat of play-action passes.
Miami’s offense is going to need to score more than the 10 points it scored last week if it wants to escape with a victory, and rushing for over 100 yards should lead to extended drives, more red zone opportunities and hopefully more trips to the end zone in week two.
2. Put pressure on Jimmy Garoppolo
When Miami has had success recently against New England it has been in games where the defensive line has been able to get in Tom Brady’s face.
If the defense can consistently apply pressure to Garoppolo when he drops back to pass, it’s likely that it will affect his decision making throughout the game since it’s just his second start in the NFL.
Miami did a pretty good job applying pressure to Seattle’s Russell Wilson, so it will be interesting to see how the defensive line backs up its week-one performance.
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As expected, Cam Wake played primarily on passing downs which seemed to work pretty effectively as he was able to conserve his energy for opportune times to rush the passer; and Mario Williams also made the most of his opportunities to get after Wilson prior to leaving the game with a concussion.
Assuming both of these guys play week two, it will be key for them and the rest of the defensive line to get in Garoppolo’s face early and often to hopefully force him into a couple of turnovers that could help lead Miami to victory.
3. Make the routine plays and don’t turn the ball over
One of the glaring issues for Miami week one was the inability to make the routine play. A couple of examples of this include Kenny Stills’ dropped touchdown, Jordan Cameron’s drop on what would have been a tough catch on a key Tannehill pass, and giving up multiple fourth-down conversions on Seattle’s game-winning final possession.
If the Dolphins could have changed any of the items listed above, there is a good chance the team would be 1-0 and there would be loads of optimism heading into Sunday’s game at New England – without Brady – coming off a win against a powerhouse in the NFC.
You can live with a dropped pass here and there in the NFL – they happen – but when the drop comes on a guaranteed touchdown pass against a team where points are hard to come by, it definitely affects the team throughout the course of the game.Making these routines plays are crucial when playing the best that the league has to offer. Usually against top-level teams you also need to catch a break along the way, but catching a break only helps if you do the little things along the way.
Sunday will be a challenging game for the Miami Dolphins, but if the team is able to establish a running game, put pressure on Garoppolo and make the routine plays throughout the game, they will definitely be in position to win the game in the fourth quarter.
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