Dolphins look to win 3rd straight game when they host Pats
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) celebrates a touchdown pass to Miami tight end Jonnu Smith (9) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Credit: AP/Rebecca Blackwell
New England (3-8) at Miami (4-6)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS
BetMGM NFL odds: Dolphins by 7.
Against the spread: Patriots 4-6-1; Dolphins 4-6.
Series record: Dolphins lead 62-53.
Last meeting: Dolphins beat Patriots 15-10 in Foxborough, Massachusetts, in Week 5.
Last week: Patriots lost to Rams 28-22; Dolphins beat Raiders 34-19.
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) throws a pass as the Los Angeles Rams defensive line puts on pressure during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. Credit: AP/Steven Senne
Patriots offense: overall (31), rush (21), pass (32), scoring (30).
Patriots defense: overall (20), rush (20), pass (20), scoring (18).
Dolphins offense: overall (22), rush (11), pass (23t), scoring (27)
Dolphins defense: overall (9), passing (10), rushing (10), scoring (15).
Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith (9) catches a pass ahead of Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Decamerion Richardson (25) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Credit: AP/Rebecca Blackwell
Turnover differential: Patriots minus-2; Dolphins minus-2.
Patriots player to watch
WR Kendrick Bourne. The eight-year veteran is playing in Miami for the first time since suffering a season-ending knee injury last season. He struggled in his first five games and was benched in a Week 10 loss at Chicago. But he returned last week and had five catches for 70 yards and a touchdown — all season highs.
Dolphins player to watch
TE Jonnu Smith. Signed this offseason as a free agent, Smith has emerged as the Dolphins third receiver behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. The veteran tight end is coming off a career-best performance against the Raiders with 101 yards receiving and two touchdowns, including a 57-yard TD. Smith ranks third among tight ends this season with 249 yards after catch.
Key matchup
QB Drake Maye vs. Dolphins defense. The Dolphins are only allowing 199 yards passing per game and have not given up 100 yards rushing in four straight games. Miami struggles to contain mobile quarterbacks though, and Maye has rushed for at least 20 yards in each of his past four outings.
Key injuries
Patriots: DE Deatrich Wise is still dealing with a foot issue that kept him sidelined last week. S Kyle Dugger began the week limited with an ankle injury that previously kept him sidelined for three games. OL Cole Strange, who is working his way back from knee surgery, returned to practice for the first time this season.
Dolphins: CB Kendall Fuller is still in the concussion protocol after suffering his second concussion of the season two weeks ago. Coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday he was “pessimistic” about Fuller's availability Sunday. ... CB Alec Ingold remained limited in Wednesday's walkthrough because of a calf injury that sidelined him the past two games.
Series notes
Mike McDaniel is 4-1 against New England as Miami's head coach. ... Tua Tagovailoa has not lost to the New England Patriots. He is 6-0 in his career. ... The Dolphins, who swept the Patriots last season and beat them in Week 5, can potentially sweep New England in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1999-2000.
Stats and stuff
QB Drake Maye is averaging 9.3 yards per rush with 260 yards on 258 attempts. The highest single-season rushing average for an NFL quarterback is 8.5 by Michael Vick in 2006 (123 attempts for 1,039 yards with Atlanta). ... LB Christian Elliss has a team-high eight special teams tackles. If he reaches 10, it would be the seventh straight season a Patriots player has had at least that many. ... DE Keion White has a team-leading 15 quarterback hits this season. ... TE Hunter Henry leads the team with 46 receptions for 491 yards. He has two games with at least eight catches this season. Rob Gronkowski in 2017 was the previous Patriots tight end to have at least three, eight-catch games. ... The Dolphins have held opponents to 76.5 yards rushing per game since Week 8, which is the third-best mark in the league in that span. ... The Dolphins haven't allowed more than 100 yards rushing in four straight games, which is the second-longest active streak in the NFL this season. ... With a win on Sunday, Mike McDaniel would be the first Dolphins coach to win five of his first six games coached against the Patriots. ... WR Odell Beckham Jr. needs 23 yards receiving on Sunday to reach 8,000 and become one of 12 active players with that many career receiving yards. He also needs one receiving TD to reach 60 and tie for 10th among active NFL players. ... Since Week 8, the Dolphins lead the league in third down conversion rate (60.4%) and are tied for first in fourth downs (100.0%). ... The Dolphins have had 18 scoring drives of at least 10 plays and five drives of 14-plus plays this season. Miami had a total of 21 scoring drives of 10-plus plays in 2023 with three of them of more than 14 plays.
Fantasy tip
Quarterbacks Drake Maye and Tua Tagovailoa would be safe picks. Maye has a run of at least 10 yards in every game he has started this season. Tagovailoa leads the NFL with a 73.4% completion rate.
More football news
