New England Patriots vs Miami Dolphins – NFL Week 16: Preview
Two teams of AFC East, the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins prepare to battle at the Gillette Stadium this weekend.
The New England Patriots have guaranteed themselves the top slot in their division while the Dolphins managed to save themselves from ending at the bottom by defeating the Buffalo Bills 30-23 last weekend. What remains to be seen
is whether the Dolphins 5-9 will be able to face the Patriots who are way ahead of them at 11-3.
The Dolphins now under Interim Coach Todd Bowles after Tony Sparano was fired have managed to win their first game with Bowles but doing it again seems a much harder task. The Bills were not much of a match but the Patriots will
definitely prove to be tough.
The Dolphins do have Reggie Bush and Matt Moore to do the trick. Bush was too good on the field against the Bills running for a career best 203 yards with an average of 8.1 yards per carry and a 76 yards touchdown. Bush has pulled
out with a performance of 100 yards each in the last three games as he totalled 100 yards four times this season. Doing it again seems a likely task for the improved rushing leader.
"I understand the questions. I was hurt a few years and I wasn't getting a lot of touches and yards. Rightfully so, people should be questioning whether I can do it or not. But I know given the opportunity, I can show." Bush said.
However chances of such a repeat performance against the Patriots seem fragile. In the last game played against the Patriots, Bush could not proceed further than 38 yards as the Dolphins lost the ground 38-24.
The return of Matt Moore has added to the vigour of the Dolphins. Moore went for two touchdowns in the last game completing 50 percent of the passes for 217 yards. In the past seven games, he has 11 touchdowns to his credit with
just two interceptions.
Though chances of a Miami win do look fragile, however they have improved a lot recently. Coming out with a start of 0-7, they went on to win the past five of seven games.
Things look a bit bleak for the Patriots who recently had to suffer the loss of defensive end Andre Carter for the season. Carter who sustained a knee injury while playing against the Denver Broncos had his season ended. Carter
was the leading defensive player with 10 sacks and 52 tackles this season to his credit. The Patriots defence who are giving away the most number of yards in NFL this season will receive a further setback in Carter’s absence.
Markell Carter is the likely replacement for the injured Carter. Patriots’ director of player personnel Caserio was happy to have him in the team.
“He's worked hard and applied himself. He's made progress and I think that's what you want to see with any young player. We're happy to have him in the program." Caserio said of Merkell.
The Patriots need to review their defence strategy as well. They were playing with a 4-3 defence combination but would now need to change that in Crater’s absence. The Patriots here have another issue. Linebacker Brandon Spikes
is faced with a knee injury and his presence will surely provide the much needed boost to the Patriots defence.
Tom Brady with 4593 yards and 35 touchdowns to his credit will need to step in and take the ground. The Patriots despite a battered defence still stand a better chance than the Dolphins.
Tags: