New England Patriots vs Miami Dolphins
On Sunday afternoon, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots will begin their quest for a fourth Super Bowl ring when they travel to take on one of their AFC East rivals, the Miami Dolphins. Cornerbac Darrelle Revis will be making his Patriots’ debut in Sun Life Stadium and will attempt to give Dolphins’ quarterback Ryan Tannehill nightmares throughout day like he has with so many other quarterbacks in the past. The Patriots will be looking to improve offensively this season and that will all start with the ability to keep him upright as an offensive line that lost Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins tries to hold off Cameron Wake and the Dolphins’ pass rush. If the Dolphins have plans to win the AFC East, they will have to hold serve at home.
Patriots vs. Dolphins viewing information:
Date: September 7, 2014
Start Time: 1:00 pm EST
Location: Miami Gardens, FL
Stadium: Sun Life Stadium
TV Info: CBS/NFL Sunday Ticket
Live Stream: NFLSundayTicket.TV
Radio: NFL Audio Pass
Ticket information: For Patriots ticket information, click here. For Dolphins ticket information, click here.
Keys to Victory
The biggest key to this game will be how the new-look Patriots’ defense looks against the new-look Dolphins’ offense. The Patriots used the offseason to upgrade their secondary, signing Revis and fellow cornerback Brandon Browner (who is suspended for the first four games). Perhaps even more importantly, they get linebacker Jerod Mayo and defensive tackle Vince Wilfolk back from injury. The Dolphins will feature a quarterback looking to take the next step in his third-year in Tannehill playing behind a rebuilt offensive line, which includes Pro Bowler Brandon Albert and for a brand new offensive coordinator, Bill Lazor.
For the Patriots, everyone will be watching tight end Rob Gronkowski, who is returning from a torn ACL. However, the real story may be how the Patriots’ offensive line, now without Mankins, will handle a solid Dolphins’ defense that features Wake and Olivier Vernon.
Betting Odds
Point Spread: New England -5
Moneyline: New England -225, Miami 185
O/U: 47
Prediction
If anyone is going to present a challenge for the Patriots in the AFC East this season, it is probably the Dolphins. However, because they will be playing in a brand new system and the Patriots seem healthy, the Patriots get the edge here in what should be a close game, which is almost always the case when these two get together.
Final Score: Patriots 24, Dolphins 20