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The Miami Dolphins’ keys to victory in New England

By George Forder

Dec 20, 2020; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 20, 2020; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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After countless days, weeks, and months, the Miami Dolphins are finally preparing to open their 2021 regular season. Hopes are high for Dolphins fans and the first two weeks of the regular season will serve as a litmus test for their expectations going forward.

The AFC East is going to be a dog fight in 2021 and it is important for the Dolphins to pick up wins where they can. They can’t afford to get swept by their division foes, especially by the New England Patriots. Unfortunately for the Miami Dolphins, this is going to be an improved New England team that will present some challenges.

We should also remember that the Miami Dolphins had the exact same opening game last year in New England. The Dolphins couldn’t muster any offense in that contest, with Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing three interceptions and their lone TD being a one yard run from Jordan Howard.

The Patriots owned the line of scrimmage in that game, out rushing the Miami Dolphins 217-87. That total was a testament to their rushing attack and offensive line, but also a game script that saw the Dolphins trying to come back from a deficit while New England only had to milk out a victory.

Last year did of course present a lot of different challenges. There was no preseason or film of a Cam Newton led Patriots offense, the Dolphins had a ton of new players on the team that really hadn’t had enough time together at that point and the aura of Bill Belichick still hadn’t worn off.

As we go into this week one contest, Dolphins fans should also remember that week one wasn’t indicative of how the season would play out for either team in 2020. New England would ultimately sputter to a 7-9 finish, while Miami surged to a 10-6 season-narrowly missing the playoffs.

While this game isn’t the end all-be all, we can agree that getting off to a fast start in 2021 would be beneficial for the team and fan base. Here are three keys to victory for the Miami Dolphins in New England. If the Dolphins can prevail in these three areas, victory will be all but assured.

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