The Miami Dolphins may not be heading toward a great season, but they could still pull off some big upsets that no one sees coming. Miami is playing more for pride than wins, but they will also be keeping receipts.
In New England, the Super Bowl-losing Patriots are coming off a surprise season of their own. We spoke with Musket Fire site expert Sara Marshall about the upcoming season. Her thoughts on the team are quite interesting.
Marshall believes that the Patriots' biggest weakness will be at defensive end, specifically the pass rush. That is something the Dolphins could exploit with DeVon Achane and Malik Willis' speed. Here are the questions we asked in order to dig into the expectations surrounding the Dolphins' division rival.
Patriots expert sees the Miami Dolphins as a sneaky problem given their history
The Patriots are coming off a Super Bowl, do they legitimately have the chance to repeat?
History would suggest they don’t, and that’s probably accurate. But I do think that the Patriots are being overlooked ahead of the 2026 season, and for the most part, they’re already being dismissed as a legitimate contender. The roster is arguably significantly better than last year, and expectations remain high for Drake Maye in Year 3, so those factors alone should keep them in the Championship conversation.
Last season, the Patriots played one of the weaker schedules in the league, but that won’t be the case this year. Is that a concern at all, given the expectations?
Of course! They exceeded all expectations last year, even shocking the biggest New England fans, so it was a welcome sight to see them make it all the way to the Super Bowl. It felt way ahead of schedule, so there’s a good chance they won’t be able to replicate it this year. But it will be a good test no matter what, and hopefully, they can continue to rise in the conference and further prove that they are back to being a team the rest of the league should worry about.
The Dolphins and Patriots have often turned in great games despite one team being far worse than the other on paper. Do you see the Dolphins as a threat at all this year, given the changes in Miami?
The Dolphins are always considered a threat to the Patriots in my eyes, specifically in Miami, because even during their most successful years, South Florida has been a nightmare for them. Tom Brady even still talks about how difficult playing there was, so it’s always a game some Patriots fans, like myself, keep circled on the calendar.
It will be an even more interesting game this time around with a new head coach and staff, a new quarterback, and an impressive draft class to watch. All of that could create much more competition in the division, even if a majority of Patriots fans have already chosen to overlook the Dolphins ahead of time
Aside from the names everyone knows, who do you think will be the best surprise on offense and defense?
Ideally, on offense, the best surprise will be left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker. There are a lot of question marks around him ahead of training camp, as he rehabs from an injury. But he has a lot of potential to be a Pro Bowl-level lineman, and that’s exactly what the Patriots need after seeing the group fail miserably in the Super Bowl.
Defensively, the best surprise would be Dre’Mont Jones and whether he can become more of a wrecking ball after most fans were frustrated that the Patriots didn’t re-sign K’Lavon Chaisson. The pass rush is still considered one of their weakest groups, and because Jones was signed to replace Chaisson, the hope is that he can replicate the success he had in that area. The problem is that his career thus far doesn’t suggest that’s likely.
If he can, however, it would be the most pleasant surprise of the season.
Is there a weak spot on the roster that other teams will try to exploit?
At this point, it still feels like it’s the pass rush. There was a lot of hope that the Patriots would pull off a big trade for a top name or sign one of the remaining free agents, like Jadeveon Clowney, but they have no urgency to do so. That means they’re going to rely on Harold Landry, who is recovering from offseason surgery, and Dre’Mont Jones, who isn’t a highly productive pass rusher, so there are many ways quarterbacks, especially those who are more mobile, can exploit that.
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