Monday Night Football features an AFC East showdown as the New England Patriots (10-2) visit the Miami Dolphins (5-7) at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Patriots will try to win their 15th consecutive game on the road and their ninth straight game as they face a Dolphins team that is trying to win back-to-back games for just the second time this season.
Tom Brady will be without the services of his all-pro tight end Rob Gronkowski, as he serves a one-game suspension for a late hit in last week’s game against the Bills, but that should not make a big difference against the Dolphins secondary.
Brady threw four touchdown passes and put up a 114.1 passer rating just two weeks ago when these two teams met in Foxboro.
Brady leads the league with a 109.7 passer rating and what he did against Miami was no fluke and he should repeat that kind of performance this time around in South Florida.
This should happen not because he has good games against most defenses in the league, but because the Dolphins pass defense allows opposing passers a rating of 97.8, which ranks them 27th in the NFL.
For the Dolphins the ground game will be the key, especially now, that they might have found the replacement for Jay Ayahi, as Kenyan Drake had a breakout performance in week 13 as picked up 120 rushing yards and a touchdown in 23 carries against the Denver Broncos.
The Patriots rushing defense has been atrocious as it has allowed a whopping 5.1 yards per attempt this season, which ranks the 32nd in the league. If Miami commits to Drake and the run, they could help themselves by keeping Brady and company off the field by burning the clock and keeping the score close until the home-field advantage tilts things in their favor for the upset.
Even though the Pats do struggle at times when they play the Miami Dolphins on the road is difficult to see them losing. New England’s strength is Miami’s weakness as the Dolphins pass defense right now simply looks too vulnerable to contain Brady’s aerial attack, even without Gronkowski.
