Patriots-Dolphins Preview: Keys to the game, a prediction, and Sunday links

Ronnie Brown ran right through the Pats D in week 3

"It's brutal, man, brutal."

That’s all Patriots’ defensive end Ty Warren could say after he watched Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams pile up 211 combined rushing yards in week three.

The Dolphins unveiled their “Wildcat” offense to the NFL against the Patriots, and it was a rousing success. The Patriots were incapable of stopping the Dolphins when they lined up in that formation.

But that wasn’t the only problem they had with the Fish. Just ask their head coach.

“We had trouble with their new stuff. We had trouble with their old stuff. We didn't play very well on defense. We didn't coach very well. We didn't play very well across the board and they did a good job, so give them credit. We've got a lot of work to do. I know we are better than that.”

Belichick’s Patriots have their chance to prove that last sentence today. Are they better than the team that showed up to play the Dolphins in week three? We’ll find out at 1:00pm today.

Keys to the Game:

For the love of God, stop the Wildcat offense!

I have no idea how to do it, but then I’m not a defensive genius. Bill Belichick is the genius. The Patriots need to stop the Dolphins from running out of the Wildcat formation. They need to figure out a way to deal with the unbalanced offensive line the Dolphins have been running.

In case you haven’t noticed, they sometimes line a tight-end up as the tackle on the weak side and move the tackle over to the strong side, and have been killing their opponents with the run out of that formation. Just another wrinkle to what has been one of the more innovative offenses this season.

Let Matt Cassel be Matt Cassel

The Patriots found out that they have a real, live potential super star quarterback in their loss to the Jets last week. This week, in a must-win game, the Patriots need to put together a game plan that utilizes their budding super star.

They need to come out in the three wide set, they need to be aggressive, and they need to figure out a way to use Cassel’s athleticism to their advantage. Roll him out wide, run a few quarterback draws, maybe even an option or two.

Matt Cassel has proven he can handle the real Patriots’ offense. The offense that broke all kinds of records last year. The Patriots need to come out this week and run that offense.

Desperate times call for desperate actions

The Patriots need to play desperate. They are desperate. If they lose this game, their playoff chances take a tremendous hit. They need to pull out all the stops. Go deep into the playbook. Find any rabbits they have hiding in their hats and throw them at the Dolphins.

Whatever it takes. The Patriots need this game. For the first time since 2002, they’re in danger of not only losing the AFC East title, but of missing the playoffs.

My Prediction:

I’ve gone back and forth on this all week. I don’t think the Dolphins are a better team, but they match up really well against the Patriots. They’ll give the Patriots fits this Sunday, just like they did in week 3.

That said, the Patriots ALWAYS come through when they have to. This is a team that has made a living winning big games. They never lose two games in a row. They very rarely lose twice to the same team in one season.

The Patriots, behind Matt Cassel, will find a way.

Patriots 28, Dolphins 24

Patriot Sunday Links:

We’re going to try to make the Sunday Links a regular thing here. If you have anything you think I should link to here, just email it to scrowe@gmail.com and I’ll be sure to check it out.

Before I get to the links, if you like what you’re seeing here, please click on the Subscribe button at the bottom of the article. If you do, you’ll get an email every time I post a new article. No spam, just a notification every time a new article gets posted here.

OK, now for the links…

Ron Borges talked to Rex Ryan, the only defensive coordinator who’s figured out how to stop the Wildcat this season, in what is a surprisingly good article. I’m not usually a big Ron Borges guy, but this one’s worth reading.

NE Patriots Draft is looking towards next year’s draft (which the Patriots might be doing as well, if they lose today). They made an educated guess at what the Patriots will receive for compensatory picks. An extra third and fourth round pick to help rebuild an aging defense would be nice.

PatriotsBlog.net is speculating, as we have a few times, that Adalius Thomas could return for the playoffs.

Patriots Daily has a good breakdown of the Patriots’ playoff chances. I knew it was true, but it was startling to read in print. The New England Patriots, the team of this decade, needs help to make the playoffs. They, technically, do not control their own destiny.

In case you didn’t hear, Brock Lesnar won the UFC heavy weight championship last weekend. Something you may not know is that Patriot offensive lineman Stephen Neal defeated him in college.

Leslie Visser has an article up on CBS where she talks about the biggest surprise of the NFL season: That a Dolphins-Patriots game is meaningful in week 12. I’m as shocked as anyone.

Shalise Manza Young of the Projo says that this is a statement game for the Dolphins.

Bleacher Reports’ Jeremiah Griffin predicts that the Dolphins will complete the season sweep today, and backs it up with a bunch of annoying stats. Including this doozy:

The Patriots record against the Dolphins since 2001 is 9-6, and four of those six losses were in Miami. The Dolphins swept the Pats in 2000, so Bill Belichick is officially 9-8 vs. Miami.

The Dolphins have beaten the Patriots more than any other NFL team since 2000.

I hate it when people use facts to backup arguments I don’t agree with.

Enjoy today’s game. I’ll check in after the game with a recap.

Sean Crowe is the New England Patriots Examiner. You can email him at scrowe@gmail.com. Check out some of his other work on his blog

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