Here’s what experts are predicting for Sunday’s Patriots-Dolphins game
If the game were in Miami, all bets would be off, no matter how lousy the competition. At Gillette? Nope.
We’ll know by Sunday afternoon whether the Patriots will be able to hang onto the AFC’s second playoff seed in order to secure a first-round bye.
It should be a slam-dunk.
In order for the Chiefs to come in and steal the seed away, Kansas City would need to beat the Chargers at home while the Patriots lost to the lowly Dolphins.
If the game were in Miami, all bets would be off, no matter how lousy the competition.
At Gillette? Nope.
There are still a few other shoes to drop as far as the AFC playoff picture is concerned, but the Patriots’ divisional round showdown is still setting up to be one of the more potent matchups in recent years. The Chiefs already came to Foxborough this year and, albeit with some help via the refs, and broke the Patriots’ 21-game home winning streak.
The Houston Texans put the beat-down on the Patriots last month in Texas. The Bills, for all the moments they proved not being ready for prime time in last weekend’s 24-17 loss, still provide ways to give the Pats some fits.
Even the Tennessee Titans, who throttled New England in their meeting last year, offer reasons why Patriot fans might expect an upset should they make the cut.
The first-round bye should be considered a gimme. But the same shouldn’t be said for whomever comes trouncing into Foxborough in a fortnight.
This week’s predictions
Safid Deen, South Florida Sun-Sentinel: Patriots 42, Dolphins 10. “Ryan Fitzpatrick, with 15 years and 155 games in the NFL, threw for a career-high 419 yards with four touchdowns in Miami’s win over Cincinnati Bengals last week. That performance saw Fitzpatrick throw touchdowns to receiver DeVante Parker, tight end Mike Gesicki (two) and defensive tackle Christian Wilkins against the NFL’s third-worst defense. Now, Fitzpatrick will play on the road against the NFL’s best defense this season in the finale on Sunday.”
ESPN staff: All Patriots.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Patriots 34, Dolphins 19. “The Patriots need this game to lock up a first-round bye, so they will be focused here. The Dolphins have played much better in the second half of the season, but this New England team is getting ready for the playoffs and it will show. Patriots big.”
CBS Sports staff: Six out of eight pick Miami (+15.5). Everybody has the Patriots to win.
Michael Hurley, CBS Boston: Patriots 30, Dolphins 9. “Ending the season with a shutout sounds like a good idea. The key will be scoring two early touchdowns to get the Dolphins to start thinking about the golf course.”
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: Patriots 27, Dolphins 17. “The Dolphins have been responding well to Brian Flores and Ryan Fitzpatrick to be less of a joke. The Patriots last week found a few more offensive answers with their running and passing games, and Bill Belichick’s defense has found its championship groove again. New England can’t be the AFC’s No.1 seed, but it knows things don’t end up well in the playoffs when it’s not at least No. 2 with a bye.”
https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/1210342279820517376
Tadd Haislop, Sporting News: Patriots 34, Dolphins 13. “The Patriots can’t get the No. 1 seed, but they certainly don’t want to fall out of the No. 2 spot and lose their first-round bye in the AFC playoffs. That motivation is why the line on this game is massive. The Dolphins have played well in the second half of the season, but it’ll end with a beatdown in Foxboro.”
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: Patriots 24, Dolphins 13. “The Patriots have every reason to not stumble toward the regular-season finish line, since a loss could relegate them to the wild-card round.”
Michael David Smith, Pro Football Talk: Patriots 27, Dolphins 7. “The Patriots just need to win this game to get a bye week, and they’ll cruise to an easy win.”
Five Thirty Eight: Patriots, 90 percent (-15).
Gregg Rosenthal, NFL.com: Patriots 31, Dolphins 14. “Any former Patriots assistant is a dangerous matchup for Bill Belichick, but Dolphins coach Brian Flores simply doesn’t have the horses up front to rush the passer. Tom Brady excelled against the Bills last week in large part because he was protected well, a luxury that should be afforded for a second straight week. Ryan Fitzpatrick is likely to go down swinging, but Belichick has done a great job over the years using Fitz’s aggressiveness against him, including during a 43-0 victory back in Week 2. A win here would clinch a streak of playoff byes for the Patriots that has lasted the entire decade.”
It says here: Patriots 37, Dolphins 13. Everything is on track heading into the bye. Enjoy wild card weekend, mortals.
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