If there is any week where the New England Patriots can end their three-game losing streak, it is at home in Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins. New England might have plenty of flaws on both sides of the ball, but without starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, the Miami offense has plummeted and the team has now lost three straight games as a result. This is not going to be a pretty game to watch. The Dolphins are dealing with key injuries on both sides of the ball, while the Patriots do not have the offensive talent that can allow them to score more than twenty-five points. Let’s take a look at the five biggest things to pay attention to on Sunday afternoon and see what New England can do to finally get their second win of the season.
Patriots Week 5 Preview
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1. No Tua for the Dolphins
Without Tagovailoa, the Dolphins offense has been absolutely pathetic. After he suffered a concussion in the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills a couple of weeks ago, it was inevitable that this offense was going to be completely different. Skylar Thompson got the start in the next game against the Seattle Seahawks and he took a beating with five sacks, eventually leaving in the third quarter due to a chest injury, and Tim Boyle was somehow the backup quarterback that took over. In a game where the Dolphins’ defense came up with two interceptions, the team still lost 24-3 because of a pathetic offensive struggle. The following week at home against the Tennessee Titans, it was even worse. Tyler Huntley was the next guy in line and while he only threw for 96 yards on fourteen completions, head coach Mike McDaniel never put him in the best situation to be successful. They ended up losing 31-12, not scoring a touchdown until garbage time, and every single game has followed the same script. There is no running game, their two best players Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle never get utilized, and the play-calling is horrendous. The Patriots’ defense has struggled over the last couple of weeks against the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers, so this has to be a week where they bounce back and get on the right track. The Dolphins still have plenty of speed that could easily disrupt the game, so New England needs to craft an outstanding game plan to will the team to victory.
2. Miami is Without Key Pass Rushers
On the defensive side, Miami is going to be without their two best pass rushers. Bradley Chubb is recovering from a torn ACL and is still on IR, but the team will also be without Jaelan Phillips after suffering a season-ending knee injury last week against Tennessee. The Dolphins defense only has seven sacks totaled for the year, which is ranked near the bottom of the league. Calais Campbell leads the team in that category with just two and their rookie first-round pick Chop Robinson only has four tackles in four games. Without Chubb or Phillips, the next best guys that could make somewhat of an impact are defensive tackle Zach Sieler and linebacker Emmanuel Ogbah. This Patriots’ offensive line is both decimated and horrendous in both pass protection and run blocking, and the Dolphins’ defense has done what they could to be competitive. Last week on Monday Night Football against the Titans, they forced five field goals from Nick Folk, before they eventually wore down and got gashed by the running game late in the second half. Both defenses in this game are going to be set up for pretty promising nights, but the biggest question is which offense is finally going to show up?
3. Christian Gonzalez vs. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle
The first home game for Christian Gonzalez as an NFL player was in Week 2 during the 2023 season against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday Night Football. His job that night was one of the hardest that any defensive back in the league could accomplish: slow down the fastest and most explosive wide receiver in the league Tyreek Hill. As a rookie, Gonzalez lined up against Hill seventeen times in man coverage. The ball was thrown the corner’s way just twice. Not only was Hill unable to make a single catch against Gonzalez, but on the second target of that night, the cornerback jumped up in the air and made an amazing interception over the receiver to come up with the catch. Jaylen Waddle did not perform that much better, as he only caught one pass on four routes when lined up against Gonzalez. However, while that is an intriguing factor in this matchup, the biggest question for the Patriots is who will be the next defensive back to step up their game? Both Marcus Jones and Jonathan Jones have struggled this season, and if they do not have Kyle Dugger healthy because of a foot issue, then their secondary is going to look even more vulnerable. While Miami has a serious issue at the quarterback position, if the speed on this offense is too much for the Patriots to handle, then this is going to be another long afternoon that will be more humiliating than the other three losses.
4. Rhamondre Stevenson Benched
So far through four games, Rhamondre Stevenson has had an up-and-down season. On one hand, he is still one of the more underrated power backs in the league that can pick up plenty of yards after the contact. But on the other, he has had an issue holding onto the ball. Right now, he leads all NFL players in fumbles with four, and two of them have been recovered by the opposing team. Earlier in the week, head coach Jerod Mayo said that Antonio Gibson would start against the Dolphins, putting Stevenson on the bench, which is a big statement from the first-year man in charge. For all the flaws that this Patriots offense has, running the ball has never been a huge issue. They are averaging 126 yards per game on the ground, which ranks twelfth in the league, and the Dolphins’ defense has been subpar when it comes to that area of the field. However, with the latest news on the status of the New England offensive line, who knows what can work for this unit on Sunday?
5. David Andrews Out for the Season
On the first drive against the 49ers, Patriots starting center David Andrews suffered a shoulder injury and did not play for the rest of the afternoon. Jacoby Brissett proceeded to get sacked six times with nobody but backups and Michael Onwenu protecting him. Earlier this week, the worst-case scenario was revealed as Andrews will now suffer season-ending surgery on that injured shoulder. This offensive line has already suffered enough. Their rookie tackle Caedan Wallace was placed on IR and could miss six weeks, their new center is backup Nick Leverett, their starting left guard Cole Strange is still on injured reserve because of a knee, and four different left tackles started in every game this year. If Brissett cannot have a clean pocket against a Dolphins defense without their two best pass rushers, then they are only going to look worse as the season continues. The offensive line has been the biggest reason why they have not been able to run the ball well in the last couple of weeks, why the receivers are getting little to no involvement in the offense, and why Drake Maye is still on the sideline. Hopefully, this turns into a get-right game because the more they continue to look lifeless, the more tension will be created within the fanbase and maybe inside that locker room.
Main Image: David Butler II-Imagn Images
