The New England Patriots were hoping that their Week Two matchup would produce better results than in Week One, when they submitted without â it seemed at the time â much a fight to the Las Vegas Raiders, 20-13. But this Sunday they head to Miami where they will face the Dolphins â a team that may be in even more dire straits than the Patriots.
After one game, a dispiriting and disorganized 33-8 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Athletic analyst Vic Tafur is asking if the Dolphins’ season is “over already.”
“Sometimes a kick in the groin, to paraphrase Tyreek Hill, really is as painful as it looks,” Tafur wrote on Thursday. “The Miami Dolphins are in real trouble. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was wildly inaccurate in Week One, and their defensive backs jogged around and didnât cover anybody, all while coach Mike McDaniel watched expressionless.”
Not great.
All-Pro Defender Ruled Out For Sunday
And it is that “painful” situation in Miami that had the Patriots hoping to get new head coach Mike Vrabel his first win at the Patriots helm, when the two teams square off at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
But on Friday, the Patriots made a perhaps expected but nonetheless troubling announcement that casts doubt on New England’s chances for success in South Beach.
According to a statement by Vrabel on Friday afternoon, third-year cornerback Christian Gonzalez, a second-team All-Pro in 2024, is ruled out of Sunday’s game, due to an ongoing hamstring injury.
Hamstring Was Initially Thought to Heal Quickly
“Gonzo,” as he is known, also missed the opening game against the Raiders. In fact, the 2023 first-round draft pick out of Oregon has not even participated in practice since July 28 when he exited a training camp practice session with what was believed at the time to be minor issue.
“Initially deemed as a soft-tissue ailment that wouldnât limit him during regular-season action, Gonzalez has now not practiced in six weeks due to his injury,” wrote Conor Ryan of Boston.com on Wednesday.
But Gonzalez missed Patriots practice on Thursday and Friday as well, leading up to Vrabel’s announcement.
Patriots Secondary Will Face Significant Challenge
The Creekview, Texas, native got off to a strong start in his 2023 rookie season, but suffered a dislocated shoulder and torn labrum in Week Four and missed the entire remainder of that year, when the Patriots finished at 4-13.
“Expect the Patriots’ secondary to have their hands full with receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, although the Miami offense only managed eight points against the Colts in Week One,” wrote WEEI.com commentator Meghan Ottolini on Friday.
Defensive end Keion White â the Patriots’ second-round pick in 2023 â was also ruled out for Sunday’s showdown in Miami due to an unspecified illness, according to ESPN.com Patriots correspondent Mike Reiss.
Offensive tackle Morgan Moses and Linebacker Marte Mapu are listed as “questionable” with foot and neck ailments, respectively.
Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte who led the Patriots with 103 receiving yards on six catches against the Raiders, had been limited in practice all week with a shoulder injury, but was removed from the team’s injury report on Friday and is expected to be fully ready for Sunday’s showdown with the Dolphins.
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