Pats Preview: Patriots Vs. Dolphins

As the New England Patriots prepare for their first AFC East battle this Sunday, as they welcome the Miami Dolphins into Gillette Stadium, here are some thoughts to keep in mind.

Sitting On Top- The Patriots enter their first divisional match up this season already with a leg up on the other three teams. New England's 23-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1, combined with losses by the Dolphins, New York Jets and Buffalo Bills, gave the Pats a one game lead just one game into the 2016 campaign. While the Jets knocked off the Bills in Thursday night football, to kick off Week 2, the Pats are still in control early on.

Looking For Revenge- The Patriots will no doubt be looking to avenge a tough loss when the two teams last played. New England entered the game with the division and a playoff birth already solidified, but played a safe and somewhat uninspired brand of football that led to a 20-10 loss. The loss was magnified as it was one of two suffered down the stretch that ultimately cost the team the top spot in the AFC and home field advantage throughout the postseason. Of course, all of New England knows what that led to; a tough AFC championship loss at Denver, a very tough place to play. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has already acknowledged that last year's game plan wasn't the best and that the loss was costly. Look for him to use that as a rallying point for the team headed into this match up.

Unbeaten Since '08- The last time the Patriots lost to Miami in New England was on September 21, 2008. Since then, the Pats have won seven straight home match ups against the Dolphins. While the 'Phins have won four contests in Miami over that same stretch, including the last three, New England doesn't drop the ball at Gillette. The Pats also don't just beat Miami at home, they dominate them. Following the 38-13 loss in 2008, the Patriots have outscored the Dolphins 224-85 at Gillette. With a chance to move to 2-0 on the season, expect the Pats to add to that deficit.

Act 2 For #10- The game will be quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's second career start and first in a divisional match up. While many expected the back up to seize under the pressure of the big lights last week in Arizona, Garoppolo played well and led the team to a 23-21 win. Look for the signal caller to pick up where he left off against the Cardinals, with a quick release and the ability to evade the rush. Also look for New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to draw up a similar game plan for Garoppolo and the offense this weekend. McDaniels' plan last week allowed Garoppolo to do what he does best. If that plan can be recreated, the Pats chances for a second straight win look good.

Will He Or Won't He?- While tight end Rob Gronkowski has returned to practice this week, after missing the season opener with a hamstring injury, there is no certainty that he will play Sunday. If the injury was serious enough to exclude him from play last week, it wouldn't be shocking for a second straight week with no Gronk. If the All-Pro tight end is good to go, he is obviously a hug boost to the offense, but if he is still not quite ready it wouldn't make sense to push him. The last thing the Pats would want is to run him out there with a sore hammy and have him leave with a more severe injury that could see him on the sideline for a longer time.

Lost Linebacker?- After missing back-to-back practices this week, it is looking doubtful that starting linebacker Dont'a Hightower will be available to play on Sunday. Hightower has been dealing with a knee injury, which he appeared to have injured in the win over Arizona. The Alabama product was named a team captain prior to the season and has been a leader among the defense for the past few seasons. With him likely out, New England will surely be taking a hit. Luckily for them, they have Jamie Collins, who has some experience getting the calls in and is an elite linebacker as well. If Hightower is a no go, also look for rookie Elandon Roberts to get his first game action. The Houston product was inactive last week.

Bringing The Pressure- While the Arizona defense is an overall more sound unit than the defense Miami will run out against the Pats Sunday, the Dolphins' front seven is among the top such units in the league. Stacked with top flight lineman, including nose tackle Ndamukong Suh and defensive ends Mario Williams and Cameron Wake, the Dolphins are extremely adept at getting to the quarterback and creating havoc in the backfield. That might be the one facet of the game where Miami has the best chance to flip the script and get to the Patriots. When you combine the Dolphins' abilities to rush the passer and make plays in the backfield with the uncertainty of the New England offensive line and the rawness of a quarterback making just his second career start in the league, it's not hard to see how Miami could plan to play things defensively.

Taking Out The Top Option- For as long as Bill Belichick has been at the helm, the New England Patriots have been skilled at figuring out what their opponent does best, offensively, and then devising a game plan to take that away from them. With the Miami offense, their top threat is also their newest one, running back Arian Foster. While Foster has suffered from injuries throughout his career, when he is on the field he is a tough guy to stop. In the team's opening day loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Foster was one of the lone bright spots offensively, compiling 100 yards from scrimmage. Look for the Pats to attempt to minimize his impact on the game and make inconsistent quarterback Ryan Tannehill beat them.

Prediction- Although the Dolphins will be able to bring some heat against an unsound Patriots offensive line and could potentially force Jimmy Garoppolo into some tough spots, New England should win this game. Their defense, which wasn't as dominant as expected in the season opener, should be better this week. Miami's offense is not nearly as strong as Arizona's and, while they have Foster and a couple of solid young wide outs, they shouldn't pose a real threat to the seasoned Patriots defense. If both Rob Gronkowski and Nate Solder can return for New England, they should have an easier time getting things to work offensively as well. Another huge piece to the puzzle will be turnovers. The Pats suffered to uncharacteristic fumbles while being unable to force a turnover last week and still won. Look for the turnover ratio to lean back in New England's favor in this game and look for that to be the ultimate difference.

Patriots 24, Dolphins 10