The New England Patriots are facing some major adversity going into their Week 2 matchup with the Miami Dolphins.
Mike Vrabel and his team are looking to rebound from a season-opening home loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, and a date with a seemingly hapless Dolphins team that was bludgeoned in Week 1 seemed like a get-right opportunity. However, the Patriots are going to be shorthanded, particularly on the defensive side of the ball in their first road game of the season.
The Patriots ruled out star cornerback Christian Gonzalez two days before the game. The former first-round pick is dealing with a nagging hamstring injury that cost him almost all of training camp and the entire preseason. New England also will be without defensive end Keion White, who was ruled out early due to an illness that cost him a week of practice.
The injury news is not all bad. Veteran offensive tackle Morgan Moses will play despite being questionable with a foot injury.
Here’s the full list of Patriots inactives:
Patriots’ Defense in Bad Way Ahead of Dolphins Matchup
And on top of that, the Patriots will have someone new calling defensive plays. Defensive coordinator Terrell Williams has left the team, Vrabel announced earlier in the week, as he deals with a health issue. With Williams gone, inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr will take over as the defensive play-caller.
The Patriots defense didn’t look great in its season opener. The Raiders only scored 20 points, but there were points in the game they moved the ball at will, including the opening drive of the game. That’s something Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who’s had a tough week of his own, will likely try to key on in Miami’s home opener.
The Dolphins also got some good news with receiver Jaylen Waddle, who is good to go after being limited early in the week with a shoulder injury; the Dolphins won’t have tight end Darren Waller, who was ruled out Friday as he deals with a hip injury.
Dolphins Have Had Patriots’ Number in Recent Seasons
One other big question for New England, especially on the defensive side of the ball: Can the Patriots finally solve the Tua Tagovailoa riddle? For all of his ups and downs, Tagovailoa has been nails against New England, regardless of head coach. The Dolphins are 7-0 in his starts against the Patriots, with the southpaw completing 69% of his passes with 11 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
However, it’s a new year, and there’s reason to believe the Patriots can flip the script against the Alabama product. For starters, Vrabel is 2-0 in his career against Tagovailoa, and more importantly, the Dolphins looked lost in their 33-8 Week 1 loss at Indy. Now is the time to pounce, if you’re the Patriots.
“The Patriots should be able to get pressure on Tagovailoa and the Dolphins offensive line, after generating 22 total pressures against Geno Smith and the Raiders in Week 1 (via Pro Football Focus),” 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Matt Doloff wrote this week. “Sacks and fumbles should be in play. But since this challenge is similar to the Raiders with Tagovailoa’s quick throws, tighter coverage and sound tackling will be paramount.”
Naturally, Miami Weather Could Be Factor
Vrabel mentioned earlier in the week that it will probably rain because it always rains in South Florida. His NFL coaching debut with the Titans had a painfully long weather delay in Miami. The forecast backs that up with a typically Miami day on tap. It’s going to be hot, pushing 90 degrees, and humid with a chance of showers, including a thunderstorm near the end of the game.
Dolphins Slight Favorites Against Reeling Patriots
DraftKings Sportsbook has the Dolphins as slight 1.5-point favorites with a total of 43.5. Miami gets the slight boost, presumably because of its home-field advantage, but that line reflects a belief these two teams are close in terms of talent. This one’s basically a coin flip.
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