This is a historical game for the 2018 Miami Dolphins. You have to go back to September 21, 2008 (The Wildcat Game) to find a Dolphins victory in Foxboro in the last decade. Win this game and remain undefeated, and put some legitimate space between them and the New England Patriots, who were/are the favorite to capture the division crown, as per usghe. On the other hand, it’s game 4, and coaches prefer to break up seasons into quarters, and starting off 3-1, even after a loss to the Patriots, while it would be disappointing, it’s playing .750 ball, and a nice start. There are so many perspectives to view this matchup through, and all the same, I think it’s important to keep perspective. If the Dolphins win this game, the Patriots are not dead and buried, and we don’t get the division crown. If we lose this game, it doesn’t put a black cloud on the season and cause us to spiral into a 3-13 season. 12 regular season games still remain
The way I choose to look at this game is I would like the Dolphins to look like they belong on the same field as the Patriots, that Adam Gase is a match for Bill Belichick, that Ryan Tannehill can be competitive in a big game against Tom Brady. Play a solid football game, fight till the end, and if you don’t win, at least you didn’t look unprepared or outmatched. We’re a touchdown plus underdogs for a reason, this is not a game we usually win.
We all prayed for no injuries this season after last year, and early on we were granted good fortune. However, in the last couple of weeks, we lost our Pro-Bowl LG, Josh Sitton for the season with a torn rotator cuff, and this past week, we lost a valuable member of the D-line, DE/DT William Hayes to an ACL injury. We have to overcome those injuries, we must persevere. The best teams always do, and we can’t let it drag us down. The Sitton injury affected us, we couldn’t run the ball against the Raiders. Ryan Tannehill led the Dolphins with 26 yards rushing on 3 carries, while Gore and Drake combined for 25 yards on 11 carries. The Dolphins did a great job of masking that deficiency last week, but we all know we have to run the ball much more effectively to stay relevant this season.
Last week with William Hayes out, and of course losing DT Akeem Spence to an ejection, really hurt our run defense. The remaining players played well in a much shorter rotation, but it will be great to have Spence for 4 quarters, along with whichever DE we choose to promote to the 46 man gameday roster. The 2018 Patriots don’t really have a feature back, they use a combination of RB/FB Rex Burkhead, Sony Michel and James White, with Burkhead the closest one to resembling Marshawn Lynch, who really ran over us last week. If not for some timely trickeration, we may have come up short last week. Not sure how you feel, but I thought if they never took Marshawn out for a breather, he might have had 200 yards.
Sooooo, on to New England. Brady gets a new receiver, and this guy is a very talented one at that. Don’t short Josh Gordon talent wise. Judgement wise, maturity wise, you can kill the guy, but this guy has top 10 receiver talent. The Patriots offense has been easy to defend this year, and the Lions gave one effective blueprint last week on how to tame the Pats offense, double Gronk, and see if the other guys can beat you. Last week they did not, but adding Josh Gordon changes that somewhat. I don’t know how much of the playbook Gordon can absorb, or if he cares to absorb it, but when he’s on the field, he has to be respected. Julian Edelman remains suspended for this game, so we have to cover 7/11 Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, and occasionally Cordarrelle Patterson. I think the Patriots will use James White a lot in the passing game. He and Dion Lewis used to take turns ripping off big chunks against us, so we have to be disciplined. White, incidentally leads the Patriots in receptions with 14.
Ted Larsen has go to play better, and this O-line in general needs to be more physical. We need to give Drake and Gore running lanes, we didn’t give them anything last week. Don’t expect those trick plays this week to bail us out. We’re going have to play them better straight up, so that might mean Devante Parker getting a little more involved, as well as TE Mike Gesicki. Dont’a Hightower is a very good LB, but he can’t run with Gesicki. I think it’s time for Gesicki to get more involved.
On defense, we need to stay focused on James White, and Phillip Dorsett. They will use Dorsett kind of like how we’re using Albert Wilson, in space, near the LOS, and letting him use his speed to get yardage. Of course Gronk is main focal point, and we;ve yet to find the right personnel to limit him, but my hopes are that Minkah Fitzpatrick helps in that regard. It would be great to have Reshad Jones back this week, he’s questionable at the moment with a shoulder injury. This would be an ideal game to have 3 safeties in there, so here’s hoping Reshad can go on Sunday.
Remember the date, September 30, 2018. The day the Dolphins started a new streak of Dolphins victories in Foxboro. I think the Dolphins are going to win this game, in a closely fought, back and forth battle. We really show our mettle here, and the rookie kicker, Jason Sanders, after being iced by Belichick, puts through a 40-something yard kick for the game winner and huge fist-pump.
MIA 27 – NE 24
Finsmob Unleashed 
I rewound the game to the holding play, total BS. After the flag was thrown Kilgore gives the ref a look like WTF.
I figured
Just ignore the refs though
Kilgore holding messed up the chains
LET’S GO DEFENSE!!!
THREE AND OUT
Oh the refs already making there Mark
Here’s the first BS penalty
refs protecting the patriots with a cheat call
But of course it was
I blame Wyo’s jersey for that penalty
I was expecting a holding call on the chests 3rd down
Phantom penalty
In pretty close already from turning this game off.
My biggest fear watching this game was the officiating
yep
Good job getting in the passing lane Kiko
c’mon D, goal line stand!
Woodard with a nice hit
ok NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICE stop
Way to hold up Defense
Need to stop well short of the goal line. Don’t give the officials a chance to decide.
Can’t have these penalties. Too many tipped passes, not enough int’s.
Goaline defense continues to be good
3 points set up y the phantom defensive holding call.
gosh that’s just the home field advantage every team gets right?
ok, FG after 1st and goal from 3? I’ll take it. But now we gotta get the Offense going.
This game is fucked up, we have zero chance to win. Anytime the cheats need some help they’ll get it.
🐖💨
The pig fart will get us past that
The reality of that drive was 3 and out
Good job D
Keep them out of the end zone
Yeah, and how do you stop that. You cant fight authority.
I fight authority
(Piggy kicks a jukebox)
yup. exactly. now we gotta get in the endzone and set the tone. That stand will be a boost for our D
but kill THE OFFICIATING CREW!
Need a good drive
The crowd is different, sorta tense.
Overall they need to make plays where there is no chance for officiating to intervene. 😂
Good protection
Get open guys
Tanny had a shit load of time…. somebody has to get separation in their route!
shit catch that ball man
Gase needs to get some quick passes out of Tannehills hands and get him in a rhythm if he’s not going to bother running the ball.
Larsen sucked.
We got it back
That’s why you throw downfield
Larsen is terrible
woo hoo. Pats get a flag. shocker
That ref must be concussed. He got the call backwards.
They can’t let Gilmore grab a guy’s should like that
How was that no PI?
Gilmore tackled him.
🎶🎶🎶
More than feeling…
🎶🎶🎶🎶
Need another patented dolphins D turnover to get the ball back.
Gilmore, had illegal hands to the face, holding and PI all on one play
That’s why no one is open
michel needs to fumble.
Haack has been a Faack so far
Hack
Alright Gase. I’ve fucking said this before. Stop showing off your punter the first two drives of every game. SMH every game.
Does Robert Kraft have a mullet?
Looks like it
Woodard showing out early!
White in the vicinity is a stretch
ok, we need a 3rd down stop here.
🎶🎶🎶
Good ole Bobby McCain
🎶🎶🎶🎶
Yes
INT there it is baby!!!
BAM first one
Got my turnover
There we go. That’s the game changer.
Nice job D
Fuckin A, like McCain had eyes in the back of his head or he knew the play😁
That’s film study he knew the play
That was a great play by Bobby!
Now let’s run the ball like the Lions did
Bobbbbeeeeee
Just give up,Tom Brady.
Your career is over.
Just retire at halftime, you putz.
The Hack problem must be the wind.
Gotta score now
RUN THE BALL
How can they say McCain got it away from him? He never had it to start with.
Go Phins!!!
McCain stole the first, let’s go baby! Get the TD and another interception
We absolutely must draft a road grading OG.
Yes
Arghhhhhhgg!!!!
Stop the penalties
Here comes a bubble screen or long pass out of bounds.
Time for an in-game adjustment.
Im not impressed wotj the offense
But I take being down 0-3 after a qtr
I know we are going to break a big play
ok the fist quarter is over, can the offense arrive already?
It’s coming Piggy…
🐽
I really think Gase scripts the first 15 or so plays, the makes adjustments from what he sees.
trying to see what they do in various sets.
Where is the hurry up / quick offense???????
Tannehill needs to run for a first down. He always plays better after he does.
Ballage can catch and wilson can throw
Just caught up.
1. Looks like the offense is off to another slow start.
2. Refs 3, Dolphins 0.
Yep
Much better punt
you have to get first downs to play the hurry up
WHERE THE FUCK IS THE HOLDING CALL ON THAT RETURN!!??
another totally BS call to bail out the patsies
Bullshit call
What an idiot X, dont throw your hands up
Garbage D
Refs 10, Dolphins 0
That was offensive PI
Tackled Wake no call
well, shit
What a ridiculous uncalled pick play
The old PICK play!!!!!!!
Offensive PI?
FUCKING CHEATERS
Steve – Agree completely, why make the “I didn’t do anything” gesture, when all it does is make them think you did something?
And they called holding on X
No pick by WR called, if we go 3 and out, I’ll be too.
Refs should be shot. First another phantom defensive hold, then no call on the obvious pick.
mix-up in coverage and no pass rush
This is bullshit, I’m so sick of the NFL and playing favorites by the refs.
Wtf, we didn’t want Patterson
Gase needs to get this offense in gear