Patriots vs. Dolphins: Wes Welker To Embarrass His Old Team For Trading Him Away
The Week 4 edition of Monday Night Football features the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins squaring off at Sun Life Stadium.
The last time New England played in Miami on a Monday night, the Dolphins came back from down 11 points in the 4th quarter by forcing four interceptions on Brady. But these are different times and completely different teams.
The three top dogs of the AFC East are all at 2-1, so these two teams will be even more desperate for a win. Here are my 10 predictions for the game.
10: Shawn Crable Will Get His First Career Sack
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What a statement that would make. Just a month after being cut by the team during training camp, the Patriots' former third-round pick out of Michigan made his way back onto the 53-man roster. He recorded his first career tackle on Sunday against the Bills, and has an opportunity to get after the quarterback on Sunday against the Dolphins.
Vernon Carey is a respectable tackle, but Bill Belichick loves to scheme his guys to their fullest potential. He'll put Crable in position to make the play, and we could see something that many New England fans thought they'd never see: a sack from Shawn Crable.
9: The Dolphins Will Air It Out
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Who knows, we could be looking at Mark Sanchez (220 yards, 3 touchdowns, 70 percent completions vs. Patriots) as an elite quarterback by the end of the season. I highly doubt that we'll be talking about Ryan Fitzpatrick (247 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 71 percent completions vs. Patriots) in the same light, though.
Good or mediocre, quarterbacks seem to have their way with the Patriots defense.
If there's been one secret to success against the Patriots defense this season, it's been to expose their patchwork secondary. They've already given up seven passing touchdowns through just three games, and the secondary has only flashed inconsistent signs of improvement. The Dolphins will air it out to test this weakness on Monday night.
8: The Patriots May Have To Put an Extra Blocker on Cameron Wake
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The undrafted free agent outside linebacker has been a disruptive force for the Dolphins at outside linebacker over the first few weeks of the season, collapsing the pocket and reaching the quarterback seemingly at will.
Matt Light has historically struggled against speed rushers like Wake, so I'd count on the Dolphins putting Wake into position to create pressure on Brady and attempt to force discomfort for the All-Pro quarterback.
The Patriots may be forced to put an extra man on Wake to slow him down if he starts causing problems for Tom Terrific.
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7: The Wildcat Will Be a Factor
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Ever since the Dolphins debuted the Wildcat offense at Gillette Stadium in 2008 to the tune of a 38-13 drubbing, Miami has always been able to get a few productive plays out of the Wildcat formation against the Patriots.
Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams have both had their share of success against the Patriots from that formation over the past two years, and while there will always be a few plays that don't work, I'd expect at least a couple to go for good yards against a Patriots defense that lacks discipline and came out with little energy against the Bills' not-so-vaunted rush attack of Marshawn Lynch, Fred Jackson, and "The Thriller" CJ Spiller.
Needless to say, Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are capable of doing a bit more damage than those guys.
6: The Dolphins Will Put a DB On Aaron Hernandez
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After letting Dustin Keller walk up and down the field against them on Sunday night on six receptions for a whopping 98 yards and two touchdowns, I think it's safe to say the Dolphins may adjust their game plan.
They can't let tight ends control them the same way against the Patriots, especially since New England now features two talented tight ends in Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski. The two did a lot of impressive work in the preseason, and it's carried over into the first three games. Hernandez has 13 receptions for 211 yards, and two of Gronkowski's four receptions have been for touchdowns.
Putting a linebacker on Hernandez didn't work for the Bills, and the same strategy failed the Dolphins against the Jets.
5: The Patriots Offense Will Force a High-Scoring Game
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Yes, I've praised the Dolphins for their stifling pass defense thus far this season. But no, that doesn't mean that the Patriots high-flying pass attack will be brought back to Earth by the Dolphins defense.
Heck, Mark Sanchez ripped apart the Dolphins defense. Surely Tom Brady can do the same.
He's torched opposing defenses for 758 yards, eight touchdowns, and only two interceptions in the first three games. Despite the Dolphins' best efforts to the contrary, Tom Brady will find a way to score points against the Miami Dolphins.
4: But The Patriots Defense Will Make It Easy For Miami To Keep Up
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Flashes of brilliance have been lost in a sea of yards allowed and points scored against the Patriots defense that currently ranks 27th and 28th in those categories respectively.
The Miami Dolphins have been a bit of an enigma over the first few weeks of the season, finally putting the pen to the paper with their pass attack last week against the Jets despite losing at home.
As mentioned earlier, picking apart the Patriots defense shouldn't be a problem for Chad Henne with weapons in Brian Hartline and Brandon Marshall that both appear to be mismatches for New England's inexperienced secondary.
Scoring points against the Patriots has seemingly been not a privilege that needs to be earned, but a God-given right handed down at the expense of an oftentimes anemic defense.
3: Brandon Marshall Will Catch His Second Touchdown Of 2010, and Maybe His Third
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The Dolphins' biggest offseason acquisition found his way into the end zone for the first time in the 2010 season on Sunday night against the Jets.
Although it came with the Denver Broncos, Brandon Marshall had a big game against the Patriots last season in which he scored two touchdowns on eight receptions, including the game-tying reception that sent the game to overtime.
The Patriots couldn't stop him last time, and they are without Leigh Bodden, the man who covered him last time. With only Darius Butler and Devin McCourty standing in his way, expect Brandon Marshall to find the end zone yet again against the Patriots, perhaps even twice.
2: Wes Welker Will Make The Dolphins Pay For Trading Him in 2007
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47 receptions, 613 yards, 2 touchdowns. That's the stat line for Wes Welker in six career games against his old team.
At nearly eight receptions per game for over 100 yards, Welker has clearly made the Dolphins pay the price for trading him in the past. With little to no depth in the defensive secondary, expect Tom Brady to find "The Slot Machine" in the middle of the field all day.
Of course, revenge is probably the last thing on Welker's mind. He just wants to be productive and help his team win. It helps, though, to get to do it against the Miami Dolphins as he continues to make them look silly for trading him away.
1: Tom Brady Will Have To Lead a Game-Winning Drive
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Late in the game, with it all on the line, Tom Brady will be forced to lead a game-winning drive as he's done many times before. He hasn't been perfect in that situation, having cost his team a few winnable games with a poor decision on the game's final drive.
In the end, it will come down to whether Tom Brady can channel his inner John Elway, or if he'll lay an egg similar to the one he laid at New Meadowlands Stadium in Week 2. If the Patriots' recent struggles on the road late in games are any indication, the outcome is gloomy for New England.
Are You Ready For Some Comments?
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This is sure to be a very exciting matchup, regardless of whether my predictions come true or not.
Regardless, I'd love to get your feedback on my takes, as well as your own takes on what could impact the outcome of the game, or what you think will transpire on Monday night.
Thanks for reading!
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