The Miami Dolphins are bad this season. Miami has had to deal with a lot of off the field issues that have bled onto the field. Jay Cutler is not the only person to blame for the Dolphins bad record. Cutler has passed for 1602 yards, 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
The Dolphins have lost four games in a row and are 1-4 over the last five games. Miami was recently beaten by the Buccaneers, 30-20. The Buccaneers were without starting quarterback Jameis Winston, and the Dolphins still lost by 10 points. Jay Cutler was horrible. He was 6 of 12 for 83 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Look for the Dolphins to start Matt Moore this week. He should have been starting since the beginning of the season.
Defensively, the Dolphins have performed average this season. The defensive unit is allowing 349 yards and allowing 25 points per game this year. A lot of that has to do with defending poor field position off turnovers. The Miami defense allowed 321 yards in last weeks lost to Tampa Bay. That would be a solid performance on most teams. Defensively, the Dolphins secondary is going to have their hands full in this matchup. Defending Tom Brady and company is not going to be easy. The Dolphins are allowing 224 yards passing per game this year.
The New England Patriots are going looking like the team everyone predicted them to be, this year. With the targets on their backs as usual, the Patriots are still the best team in the AFC. New England most recently destroyed Oakland in Mexico, 33-8. Tom Brady and the Patriots have won six games in a row, including the win against Oakland.
Brady has passed for a crazy 3146 yards, 22 touchdowns and two interceptions on the season. New England generated 420 yards of offense against the Raiders last week, including 337 yards passing from Brady. This week expect no less from the Patriots offense. They own the Dolphins over the years.
On the defensive side, New England has improved a ton against the pass. The numbers say the Patriots secondary is allowing 293 yards per game. That’s much improved from what they were allowing over the first four games. Look for the New England defense to apply pressure to quarterback Matt Moore in this game. New England should have not issues at home against Miami defensively.
Writer’s Prediction:
The Dolphins need this win to try and stay alive in the playoff race. New England is looking for win to get one step closer to home field advantage in the postseason. Matt Moore might perform better than Jay Cutler, but he won be enough against New England this week. The Patriots will demolish the Dolphins at home in this one. Pick: New England (-16.5)
