When the Miami Dolphins welcome the Patriots to town on Sunday, few will believe they actually have a shot. It's New England that rode a historically easy schedule to a Super Bowl appearance in 2025, after all. As this season has shown, though, the Patriots are not nearly as good as they were made out to be, just as Miami is not anywhere near as bad as folks predicted.
Ultimately, that won't mean anything in how the final score is calculated. The Dolphins' approach to the season has left them punching up all year long, and that won't change. New England's roster is more expensive, more talented, and more experienced, but this is the NFL we're talking about.
Any given Sunday, right?
The Miami Dolphins could try an unconventional formula to steal one from the Patriots
1. Make Drake "The Schedule" Maye beat you
As eager as folks were to crown Maye the next Tom Brady, it only took a few butter-fingered playoff games and a couple early-season blowouts this season to remind people they were a bit premature. Maye is currently tied for the league lead in interceptions with eight (alongside Sam Darnold and Justin Herbert) and in total turnovers (alongside Herbert and Daniel Jones).
If the Dolphins allow the Patriots' run game to get going, it'll be tough sledding. New England would like nothing more than to run out the clock in what is forecasted to be a rainy, muggy day in South Florida. By making them one-dimensional, Miami can start the clock on the ticking time bomb quarterback. It's only a matter of time before he coughs it up.
To further tilt the odds in their favor, head coach Jeff Hafley must be aggressive. Maye struggles under pressure and the man-to-man coverage that often accompanies it. Against that coverage, Maye has a 57.6-percent catchable-ball rate, which ranks 29th. His 95.5 passer rating against man coverage also ranks 19th.
Miami could get burned once or twice; nonetheless, they can't afford to play scared.
2. Achieve a season-best day throwing the ball, and make New England pay on their gambles
The Patriots have one of the league's better run defenses, allowing a paltry 3.9 yards per carry so far this season. While it's important to get running back Ollie Gordon II involved and give him the chance to buck the trend, at some point the onus may fall on quarterback Malik Willis to make some plays through the air.
New England has allowed opposing passers to post a collective 94.2 passer rating this season, which ranks 19th in the league. They also blitz at the fourth-highest rate, leaving their secondary vulnerable. There will be opportunities for the big-play-hunting Willis to take the deep shot.
Against the Patriots, he's going to need to connect.
3. Keep control of the ball with extended drives
Last week, the Dolphins did a masterful job — at least in the first half — of keeping their drives alive. Miami made clutch third- and fourth-down conversions to keep the Jets offense off the field and stay on schedule. Those long drives had the added benefit of keeping the Dolphins' vulnerable secondary (which may be down starting cornerback JuJu Brents) on the sideline.
Expecting this patchwork unit to hold up for a considerable number of snaps against A.J. Brown and Co. is a recipe for disaster. The Dolphins are averaging 3:06 per drive, which is third-best in the NFL. That figure was undoubtedly aided by the job Miami did against the Jets.
They could use more of the same on Sunday.
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