The Patriots hope to get the first win of the head coach Mike Vrabel era in Miami on Sunday, and some positive pre-game news should help.
Starting right tackle Morgan Moses (foot, questionable) and LB Marte Mapu (neck, questionable) are officially active for Week 2. The veteran indicated to reporters earlier this week that he'd give it a go, and he has a reputation for playing through bumps and bruises, so it's not a major surprise that he'll play on Sunday. New England's game-day inactives are CB Christian Gonzalez (hamstring), OLB Keion White (illness), WR Efton Chism III, NT Eric Gregory, G Caedan Wallace, and QB Tommy DeVito is the emergency third quarterback. The Dolphins inactives are RB Jaylen Wright (knee), CB Ethan Bonner (hamstring), CB Storm Duck (ankle), TE Darren Waller (hip), WR Tahj Washington, DT Benito Jones and Quinn Ewers is the emergency third quarterback.
Last week, Moses was very solid in his matchup vs. Raiders star Maxx Crosby, allowing a modest three total pressures against the Pro Bowler. This week, Moses will see a combination of explosive edge rusher Chop Robinson and Jaelan Phillips, two good rushers in their own right. Although his foot injury seems manageable, Moses' effectiveness will be worth monitoring, while the South Florida heat is also a factor for the offensive line. If the veteran needs to rotate, Vrabel said rookie Marcus Bryant would be the next man up at right tackle.
One mild surprise is that undrafted rookie WR Efton Chism III is a healthy scratch for the second consecutive game. Last Sunday, Maye had some difficulty syncing up with top slot receiver DeMario Douglas, who only caught two of his seven targets with a drop. Douglas had a nice touchdown grab, but finished the game with negative yardage (-2). It's way too early for Chism to overtake Douglas, but if the Maye-to-Douglas connection doesn't produce this week, we'll see if Chism gets a chance eventually.
OL - LT Campbell, LG Wilson, C Bradbury, RG Onwenu, RT Moses
WR - Boutte, Douglas, Diggs, Hollins, Williams
TE - Henry, Hooper, Westover (FB)
RB - Stevenson, Henderson, Gibson
With the 34-year-old veteran officially active, the Patriots project to start the same offensive line as Week 1: LT Will Campbell, LG Jared Wilson, C Garrett Bradbury, RG Mike Onwenu, and RT Morgan Moses. Patriots QB Drake Maye also has his full assortment of playmakers available
(see above).
Moving over to the defense, the Patriots will be without their star cornerback for the second consecutive game, as Gonzalez was ruled out earlier in the week due to his hamstring injury. The reigning second-team All-Pro hasn't practiced since injuring his hamstring early in training camp (July 28), leaving New England without its top corner against the Dolphins prolific receiver duo of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
Last week, the Patriots relied on corners Carlton Davis, Marcus Jones and Alex Austin without Gonzalez, which will likely be the plan again on Sunday. Although it wasn't all on the Pats cornerbacks sans Gonzo, New England allowed nine pass plays of over 20 yards in an aggressive blitz plan vs. the Raiders in Week 1. Given the Dolphins explosiveness on offense, the Patriots defense needs to limit the big plays better this week.
As for the front seven, the Patriots will turn to veteran edge-setter Anfernee Jennings with White missing Sunday's game due to illness. Jennings, a healthy scratch last week, is active after impressing in the preseason with three sacks following a solid 2024 season as a starter for New England. The Pats more upfield mindset on the edges has led to a reduced role for Jennings, who will still likely be behind edge rushers Harold Landry and K'Lavon Chaisson. However, Miami majors in outside runs aimed off-tackle, so a sturdy run defender like Jennings could be useful on early downs.
On the other sideline, the Dolphins placed the starting right side of their offensive line on injured reserve earlier this week. Miami will play backups at right guard and right tackle, lefty QB Tua Tagovailoa's blindside, after placing RT Austin Jackson (toe) and RG James Daniels (pec) on injured reserve. The Dolphins are expected to start Kion Smith (RG) and Larry Borom (RT). One would expect the Patriots to test the right side of Miami's offensive line with top rushers Milton Williams, Christian Barmore and Harold Landry.
New England is looking to snap a five-game losing streak in Miami this weekend, ending a winless run vs. Tagovailoa (7-0). As mentioned, the extreme heat for a September game in South Florida will test the Patriots on Sunday. The temperature will be in the high 80s with heavy humidity, while there's a slight chance it rains at Hard Rock Stadium. The Patriots handling of the weather will be critical on Sunday.
The Patriots look for the first win of the Vrabel era vs. the Dolphins with kickoff at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
