NFL Week 1 Preview: Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots

WEEK 1 PREVIEWS:
HOU @ KC | NYJ @ BUF | GB @ MIN | PHI @ WAS | CLE @ BAL | IND @ JAX | LV @ CAR | CHI @ DET
SEA @ ATL | MIA @ NE | LAC @ CIN | ARZ @ SF | TB @ NO | DAL @ LAR | PIT @ NYG | TEN @ DEN

Miami Dolphins @ New England Patriots
When: 9/13 @ 1:00pm ET
Watch: CBS
Point Spread: Patriots – 6.5
Over/Under: 42
Moneyline: Dolphins +230 | Patriots -295

Dolphins Key Injuries: Clayton Fejedelem, DB, Pectoral (Q), Preston Williams, WR, ACL (Q), Mike Gesicki, TE, Upper Leg (Q), Byron Jones, CB, Achilles (Q), DeVante Parker, WR, Hamstring (Q), Nate Brooks, DB, Undisclosed (IR), Xavien Howard, CB, Knee (Q), Kyle Van Noy, MLB, Hand (Q), Vince Biegel, LB, Achilles (IR)
Patriots Key Injuries: Yodny Cajuste, OT, Knee (Q), Chase Winovich, DL, Shoulder (Q), Michael Barnett, DT, Undisclosed (IR), Cassh Maluia, LB, Knee (Q), Julian Edelman, WR, Knee (Q), Damien Harris, RB, Finger (IR), Beau Allen, DT, Undisclosed (IR), Gunner Olszewski, WR, Undisclosed (Q), Quincy Adeboyejo, WR, Undisclosed (IR), Brandon King, LB, Quadriceps (PUP)

NOTES:

The Dolphins finally got their franchise quarterback (insert big question mark here), but how will they fare in this awkward situation they’re currently in? They have both journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick and 2020 NFL Draft fifth overall pick Tua Tagovailoa as options under center; who do they play? While the choice may seem easy, Tua suffered a hip injury that he is still recovering from, so the Dolphins officially named Fitzpatrick the starter. Without Tua playing, this season is pointless. The top three (!) receiving leaders last season (DeVante Parker, Mike Gesicki, and Preston Williams) are questionable to play, which leaves the offense bare of talent minus newcomers in the backfield in Matt Breida and Jordan Howard.

What an offseason for New England. They lost the best quarterback in history in Tom Brady to free agency. They lost big time defensive contributors in Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins. In addition to that, they lost multiple starters due to them opting-out of the season because of COVID-19 (Shaq Mason, Patrick Chung, and Dont’a Hightower). Because of this, there’s a lot of new faces. Former NFL MVP Cam Newton looks to have a comeback season after a string of disappointing performances since his 2015 MVP-winning campaign. Devin Asiasi begin his development and aim for the wide-open starting tight end position. Linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley was named a captain and will try to fill Hightower’s shoes. Defensive lineman Chase Winovich will see more playing time, and will look to capitalize on the opportunity. Cornerback J.C. Jackson will take a big leap this year to finally being recognized as a serious elite corner in the league. We’ll finally get to see a full season of the promising left tackle Isaiah Wynn. Suprise second-rounder safety Kyle Dugger is aiming to show the world he was deserving of such a high selection despite coming from a Divison II school. The highlight of this team is the secondary, lead by defending Defensive Player of the Year cornerback Stephon Gilmore. He is joined my cornerback Jason McCourty, Jonathan Jones, and the aforementioned Jackson; with safeties Devin McCourty and Adrian Phillips rounding out the best secondary in the NFL.