The New England Patriots vs. the Miami Dolphins — otherwise known as the GOAT vs. the Brain. We may never again see a greater disparity in coaching experience than Sunday’s season 2022 opener between the Patriots and Dolphins. Read on for a breakdown of the Patriots vs. Dolphins matchups, the key injuries, and game predictions from our NFL staff.
New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins preview
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, 70, is back for his 28th NFL season — and will probably need to coach for at least another three years to finally catch Don Shula in total wins (347). The Patriots — with quarterback Mac Jones now in Year 2 — are again built to compete for a playoff spot this year.
New England has reached the postseason 18 of the last 21 seasons. But many of those appearances were due in large part to the excellence of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. He’s now in Las Vegas, and things could be bumpy with Joe Judge and Matt Patricia sharing OC duties.
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Meanwhile, the Dolphins’ new coach — Mike McDaniel — is largely an unknown. He’s been Kyle Shanahan’s lieutenant for the last decade, but Sunday will be the first time he ever calls plays in an NFL regular season game.
Still, his system already seems quarterback-friendly based on how well Tua Tagovailoa and Skylar Thompson looked in the preseason. Sunday will also be the Dolphins debuts for Tyreek Hill, Terron Armstead, Cedrick Wilson, Chase Edmonds, Raheem Mostert, and others.
How to watch
- Date/Time:
Sunday, Sept. 11, 1 p.m. ET - Channel
CBS (regional) - Live Stream
CBS All-Access, fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV
Matchups
This is the 114th meeting between these teams in a rivalry that dates back to 1966. The Dolphins have a 59-54 all-time edge after sweeping the season series in 2021 for the first time since 2000. The Dolphins beat the Patriots 17-16 in the opener and then completed the sweep with a 33-24 home win in Week 18.
That win ended up being the Dolphins’ last with Brian Flores as head coach. Miami fired him a day later. The Patriots’ season lasted just another week, with their year coming to an abrupt end with a 47-17 shellacking at the hands of the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card Round.
New England Patriots 2021 stats/rankings
- Scoring: 27.2 (sixth)
- Yards: 353.4 (15th)
- Yards per play: 5.7 (11th)
- Passing: 226.9 (14th)
- Rushing: 126.5 (eighth)
- Defensive scoring: 17.8 (second)
- Yards allowed: 310.8 (fourth)
- Yards per play allowed: 5.1 (fifth)
- Pass defense: 187.1 (second)
- Rush defense: 123.7 (22nd)
Miami Dolphins 2021 stats/rankings
- Scoring: 20.1 (21st)
- Yards: 307 (25th)
- Yards per play: 4.8 (29th)
- Passing: 214.8 (17th)
- Rushing: 92.2 (30th)
- Defensive scoring: 21.9 (16th)
- Yards allowed: 337.5 (15th)
- Yards per play allowed: 5.3 (12th)
- Pass defense: 227.7 (16th)
- Rush defense: 109.8 (14th)
Injuries to know
New England Patriots:
WR Jakobi Meyers (knee, questionable)
WR Ty Montgomery (knee, questionable)
OT Isaiah Wynn (back, questionable)
S Joshuah Bledsoe (groin, questionable)
CB Shaun Wade (ankle, questionable)
LB Ronnie Perkins (injured reserve)
WR Tyquan Thornton (injured reserve)
WR Kristian Wilkerson (injured reserve)
CB Joejuan Williams (injured reserve)
K Quinn Nordin (non-football injury)
OL Andrew Stueber (non-football injury)
DT Daniel Ekuale (suspended)
Miami Dolphins:
RB Salvon Ahmed (heel, questionable)
TE Tanner Conner (knee, questionable)
CB Eric Rowe (pectoral, questionable)
LB Andrew Van Ginkel (illness, questionable)
DT Raekwon Davis (knee, questionable)
CB Byron Jones (physically unable to perform)
S Clayton Fejedelem (injured reserve)
FB John Lovett (injured reserve)
LB Calvin Munson (injured reserve)
TE Adam Shaheen (injured reserve)
CB Trill Williams (injured reserve)
Prediction
Betting line (courtesy of Caesars)
Dolphins -3.5; Dolphins -190, Patriots +158; O/U 46.5
Adam Beasley’s Prediction
1-0 straight-up, 1-0 against the spread in 2022
Dolphins 30, Patriots 17
Dalton Miller’s Prediction
1-0 straight-up, 1-0 against the spread in 2022
Patriots 24, Dolphins 23
Dallas Robinson’s Prediction
1-0 straight-up, 0-1 against the spread in 2022
Dolphins 21, Patriots 20