Week 2 of the 2025 season takes the Patriots to Miami, a historically tough venue for the Pats and a place where New England has lost five straight. The Dolphins are reeling after a blowout loss to the Colts, while the Patriots are looking to bounce back from a frustrating finish against the Raiders.
There's plenty on the line in this early-season divisional matchup, and three key areas stand out as potential swing points.
1. Get the Patriots Running Game Going
The Patriots ran the ball just 18 times for 60 yards in Week 1, a number largely affected by how the game unfolded in the second half. Despite that lack of success, there could be opportunities in Miami.
The Dolphins allowed 156 rushing yards on 40 carries and two touchdowns to the Colts, showing some vulnerability up front. It was part of a balanced day from Indy in which they scored every time they had the ball. That kind of game could very well be an outlier, but it's all the Patriots have to game plan off.
Getting Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson and Antonio Gibson going early could help settle Drake Maye and open up play-action opportunities. With the heat and humidity in Miami being another potential factor, controlling the tempo with the run game could be the difference-maker New England needs.
2. Solve Tua
The Patriots are 0-7 against Tua Tagovailoa, and while past schemes and game plans haven't worked, this year brings a new approach under head coach Mike Vrabel and DC Terrell Williams. The Colts gave an interesting blueprint last week: 80% zone coverage, which helped force two interceptions and two sacks. Tua posted a 51.3 passer rating vs. zone, while Indy mostly rushed four or five and still generated a decent-enough 27.8% pressure rate.
It wasn't necessarily the pressure that slowed Miami's attack, it started with the coverage.
Like the rushing totals, Week 1 might've just been an anomaly for Tua. Indy defenders spoke after the game of aiming to take away the first option during pass plays and force Tagovailoa to read through the coverage. However, last year, Tua was far better against zone than man coverage, so the Patriots might hesitate to break away from their desired attacking style in an attempt to replicate what the Colts did.
The Patriots were ultra-aggressive against the Raiders, blitzing on 43.6% of drop backs and generating a 41% pressure rate. But when rushing just four, they only managed a 20% pressure rate. Against Tua, dialing back the blitz and leaning a bit more into coverage could be the right mix. The key will be generating disruption with four and disguising coverage pre-snap.
3. Flip the Switch in the Second Half
All summer long, the Patriots emphasized finishing strong. Week 1 was the opposite. The offense stalled, the defense wore down, and the Raiders closed out a win by being the better second-half team.
Playing their best football in the second half will be an even bigger challenge this week on the road for New England. Patriots fans need no reminder that Miami is a brutal place to play. Heat, humidity, and history will all be working against the Pats; it's a road game that challenged even the best teams in franchise history.
Seasons aren't decided in Week 2, but this is an AFC East divisional matchup that is already ripe with drama, and the result will have a significant narrative impact for both teams. Miami is desperate after getting dominated and New England's new regime is still searching for a first win and the validation that comes with it.
If New England can stay mentally and physically sharp in the second half, they'll have a chance to flip the script in South Florida.
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
