There are plenty of questions facing the New England Patriots ahead of their Week 2 divisional showdown with the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
Such is the case for a team coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last week. The possibility of starting 0-2 on the season is a scary thought for a Patriots team with the hardest schedule in the NFL this year.
Buy Patriots TicketsCan they turn it around against Miami?
The Patriots Wire staff already gave their predictions on the matchup, and unlike last week’s game, most have the Patriots winning. Let’s delve deeper into some burning questions still facing New England heading into Week 2.
1
Will Jonathan Jones be active?
Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones reportedly missed Thursday’s practice due to a veteran rest day. That seemingly cooled initial concerns of his availability for Sunday’s game, until he was absent once again for Friday’s practice.
Jones is officially listed as questionable on the injury report, which begs the question: Did he take back-to-back veteran rest days, or is his ankle injury bothering him bad enough that he could actually miss the game?
Not having Jones on the field would put the Patriots in a bind against the Dolphins’ two otherworldly receivers, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
It would also force Marcus Jones to potentially play on the outside against Hill with safety help over the top, while rookie Christian Gonzalez matches up one-on-one with Jaylen Waddle.
2
How much of the offensive line will be intact?
The Patriots are playing musical chairs along the offensive front. It somehow worked in the season opener with big performances from rookie guards Atonio Mafi and Sidy Sow against a ferocious Philadelphia Eagles defense.
But the Patriots could find themselves in trouble if they keep having to depend on new faces in the lineup every week. Sow and starting left tackle Trent Brown are both listed as questionable with a concussion. Meanwhile, Mike Onwenu (questionable) is still dealing with an ankle injury, while Cole Strange is questionable with a knee injury.
That’s nearly the entire starting offensive line on the injury report.
This will be a game where the Patriots are going to need to depend on their ground game to carry the load. Running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott are only the tip of the iceberg.
The Patriots will likely also draw up screens to get the ball out of quarterback Mac Jones’ hands quickly and give his skilled players chances to make plays. No, the Dolphins aren’t as scary as the Eagles defensively, particularly when it comes to rushing the quarterback, but if the Patriots’ offensive line is in shambles. it won’t even matter.
3
Can the Patriots limit mistakes?
The Patriots have a bad habit of beating themselves.
That sounds crazy on the surface considering they built a near 20-year dynasty on being the team that limited the boneheaded mistakes that separated pretenders from contenders.
Even in the Week 2 opener, despite all of the positives takeaways, the Patriots constantly beat themselves in situational football. Mac Jones threw a pick-six, and Ezekiel Elliott coughed up a fumble in the first quarter that led to a 16-0 lead by the Eagles in the beginning. They essentially spotted the defending NFC champions two free touchdowns to start off the game.
That can’t happen if the Patriots have any hopes of knocking off the better teams in the league. It especially can’t happen against an explosive offense like Miami that can blow up a scoreboard at any moment.
4
Will Christian Gonzalez succeed in another tough matchup?
It’s like Christian Gonzalez got told to learn how to swim after getting dumped off in the deep end of a shark tank.
Last week’s matchup featured a mixture of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. This week, however, Gonzalez will be tasked with helping to slow down the dynamic duo of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle for the Dolphins.
Gonzalez will likely see plenty of one-on-one matchups with Waddle, while Hill receives some sort of bracket coverage with either Jonathan Jones or Marcus Jones matched up against him. The rookie cornerback must hold up on his end to ensure the likely defensive game plan is effective.
Gonzalez is also a willing tackler, as he showed in the opener by racking up seven tackles, which was the second-most on the defense. He’s going to have to make some tough open field tackles in space against a Dolphins team full of twitchy playmakers with the ball in their hands.
5
Can the defensive line contain Tua Tagovailoa?
The Patriots defense did a tremendous job of limiting Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts in Week 1. He was constantly under pressure, and they kept him contained in the pocket for the most part.
They’ll need to do the exact same thing to an even greater degree against Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. If they allow Tagovailoa to buy time by rolling out of the pocket, the defenders on the backend are sure to get cooked by Miami’s speedy wideouts.
Rookie defensive end Keion White showed up in a big way for the Patriots. The combination of White, Matthew Judon, Josh Uche and Deatrich Wise will have to win up front to make Tagovailoa uncomfortable. Even if they can’t get sacks, they can really shake things up if they’re able to come away with clean quarterback hits.
If they can win up front, they can force the Dolphins into turnovers and ultimately give the Patriots offense better field position to succeed.
6
Will Mac Jones continue to play at a high level?
Here’s to hoping the Patriots don’t get the yo-yo effect from Mac Jones in this game.
They need him to pick right back up where he left off at the end of the game against the Eagles. The pick-six was a backbreaker, but he turned it around by making great reads and delivering beautiful throws that were both on time and accurate.
Bill O’Brien’s offensive play-calling has clearly been a huge help for Jones, and that will have to continue if the team has any hopes of keeping pace with Miami’s offense. But this should be a game where Jones spreads the ball around, while simultaneously keeping the Dolphins on their heels with the run game.
7
How big of a factor will Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott be?
The Dolphins gave up 233 rushing yards and three touchdowns against the Chargers. So there should be no questions regarding the game plan the Patriots will be looking to implement in this matchup.
Things were quiet in the rushing department for New England in Week 1 against the Eagles, but there should be plenty of noise against a far less talented Dolphins’ defensive front.
Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott should have a field day grinding out tough yards and keeping the chains moving, while also playing keep-away from the Dolphins. The Patriots could look to establish dominance on the ground, eat time off the clock and keep the Dolphins offense cold and waiting on the sidelines.
It’s the best path to victory for New England.
8
Will Demario Douglas get more snaps?
There’s no secret that the Patriots need to do a better job of getting rookie receiver Demario Douglas more involved in the offense. He was only in on 33 percent of the snaps against the Eagles and still managed to haul in four receptions for 40 yards.
JuJu Smith-Schuster has disappointed up to this point, and DeVante Parker has been slowed with a knee injury. This could be a game where the Patriots lean on the rookie wideout to help find success offensively. He’s one of the few players on the roster that has shown the ability to consistently get open in one-on-one coverage.
He should see plenty of it against an unsuspecting Dolphins team on the road.
