5 keys for Dolphins to beat Patriots this Sunday

4. Bully Nelson Agholor

Agholor enters the season as New England’s clear No. 1 wide receiver. That role should be too much for the veteran over the course of a full 17-game regular season, but the Dolphins need to make sure he doesn’t hurt them with a big game right out of the gate.

The best way to stop Agholor from building momentum is to make sure he struggles to get a clean release from the line of scrimmage. The Dolphins’ cornerbacks need to be very physical with him at the point of attack. There’s no reason they should give up any yards of note to a receiver with Agholor’s limitations.

Neither Byron Jones nor Xavien Howard should lose any sleep over the prospect of lining up against Agholor (or any other Patriots wideout) one-on-one. That should give the Dolphins defense a lot of flexibility to bring pressure early and often against rookie quarterback Mac Jones.

Cutting down on the time Jones has to read the defense can also mitigate Agholor’s ability to work as a deep threat. Miami needs to focus on shutting him down even if he’s not a quality No. 1 wideout. New England needs him to produce if they’re going to move the football with any consistency.