Last Thursday night was a complete disaster for the New England Patriots. After New England’s blowout 45-0 win against the Chargers, things looked promising. Well, that was all forgotten after the Los Angeles Rams ran all over New England’s defense in a 24-3 loss. Offensively, the Patriots are struggling in all areas. Cam Newton was benched in the 4th quarter of last week’s loss for the second time this year. The offensive line for New England has continued week after week to have no consistency.
Know Your Enemy
Let’s get to know the Miami Dolphins and what to expect come Sunday afternoon:
Miami’s offense has had its ups and downs through 14 weeks of the 2020 NFL season. Rookie, Tua Tagovailoa has been the starter quarterback for Miami since week eight. Coming into the league, Tua was recovering from a serious hip injury that many NFL scouts were wary of. Well, the Miami Dolphins took a chance on drafting Tua and so far, it’s worked out. Tagovailoa has thrown for 1,214 yards so far in his career with a record of 4-2 as a starter. He has thrown only one interception.
When healthy, Tua’s main receiver is DeVante Parker. Stephon Gilmore will be covering Parker one-on-one the whole game if he plays. Parker is currently nursing a hamstring injury but is expected to play this Sunday. Mike Gesicki is an excellent blocking tight end that creates mismatches in coverage. New England’s defense has historically struggled to cover tight ends with linebackers. This has forced them to use safeties and corners to cover fast tight ends. This is a “must-win” game for New England if they want to keep with what Boston sports media is calling “the path”. Can the Patriots keep this idea of “the path” going? We will all have to watch this Sunday to find out!
–Robert Marcello is a Staff Writer for Full Press Coverage and covers the New England Patriots. Follow him on Twitter @RobertMarcello5