Dolphins vs. Patriots: TV Schedule, Live Stream, Radio, Game Time and More

The New England Patriots have the AFC East locked up, and they'll be looking to make a clean sweep over the Miami Dolphins this Saturday afternoon. 

The Dolphins have done a tremendous job rebounding from a horrible first half. They've won five of their last seven games, but they'll need to be on their A-game plus some if they want to upset the mighty Patriots. 

Miami hasn't beaten New England since 2009, and since the Patriots are headed to the playoffs and this game doesn't mean much, the Dolphins have a chance at winning. 

Of course, everybody knows Bill Belichick loves to stick it to his opponents, especially the division rivals. So I highly doubt the Patriots just lay down and let the Dolphins walk all over them, but stranger things have happened before. 

With that said, let's take a look at some specifics of this AFC East showdown.

When: Saturday, Dec. 24 at 1:00 p.m. ET 

Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA 

Watch: CBS

Listen: WBZ 98.5 FM in Boston, WINZ 940 AM in Miami 

Live Streaming Audio: NFL.com Audio Pass ($29.99 for year, $27.99 team specific, $9.99 a month)

Betting Line: New England (-10)  

What's At Stake? 

Since the Patriots are postseason bound, this game is really nothing to them, but losing it would damage their ego, and they won't let that happen. 

As for the Dolphins, they need a victory over New England to prove to themselves that they can compete with the top teams. Miami held on strong for a good part of the season opener when these two teams first met this year, but like usual, they couldn't close it out. 

Miami is a better team now, though, so if they want a huge boost of confidence moving forward, then they'll have to pull off the upset. 

Miami Injury Report 

LB Koa Misi (shoulder): Out 

New England Injury Report 

WR Deion Branch (groin): Questionable 

DB Patrick Chung (foot): Questionable 

LB Brandon Spikes (knee): Questionable 

RB Shane Vereen (hamstring): Questionable 

Fantasy Start 'Em, Sit 'Em, Sleeper 

Start: Tom Brady, QB 

I know you all haven't forgotten about Brady's performance the first time these two teams met this season. Brady threw for a team record 517 yards and four touchdowns, including the 99-yard pass to Wes Welker. 

Brady is a must-start every week, but this week, he is a lock to be among the highest fantasy scorers. The Dolphins rank 25th in the NFL against the pass, and they won't be slowing Brady and company down at all. 

Sit: Aaron Hernandez, TE 

This may seem like a shock considering Hernandez finally got out of his slump last week to record a big day, but of the main guys for Brady, Hernandez will be limited the most. 

Rob Gronkowski will return to dominance this week since this past Sunday he flopped. While Brady does love to spread the ball around, Hernandez won't be getting a ton of action this Saturday. 

Other than last Sunday, Hernandez has been a fantasy afterthought for over a month. He'll go back into his shell when Gronkowski takes the spotlight once again, and that's why he should be on your bench. 

Sleeper: Anthony Fasano, TE

The Dolphins tight end has had his ups and downs this season, but as long as he finds the end zone, then all is well. The Patriots have the worst pass defense in the league, meaning the Dolphins will be throwing the ball a lot. 

New England will be ready for that by making sure the take Brandon Marshall out of the game. In doing this, it will free up room for Fasano, who, believe it or not, has the same number of touchdown receptions (five) as Marshall. 

What They're Saying 

Armando Salguero writes for the Miami Herald, and when asked a question on Twitter about that the Dolphins will do for a future quarterback, he responded with what people have been informing him. 

Chad Henne's days are over since Moore stepped in and starting winning. However, he isn't going to be the guy to get the Dolphins past the Patriots and Jets, which is why Miami needs to draft a QB in the first round of the upcoming draft.

There are some very talented players likely to be available, and the Dolphins would be wise to stay put with their pick and take a QB. After all, they'll be able to get a good one since they'll most likely end up with a Top 10 pick.

The Dolphins chose not to draft a guy in the first round this past year, and it'd be a bonehead move if they did the same thing in 2012. 

Ian Rapoport covers the Patriots for the Boston Herald, and he tweeted a quote from head coach Bill Belichick on being the top overall seed in the playoffs. 

The Patriots currently have the best record in the AFC, and they'll likely finish the season on top. Of course, they haven't had success in the postseason in recent years.

Ever since losing in the Super Bowl to the Giants, it's been a struggle for the Patriots when it comes to the playoffs. In fact, they haven't won a playoff game since beating the Chargers to get to the Super Bowl against the Giants. 

The defense could hold New England back this season, but the Patriots offense can compete with any team in the league, which makes them very dangerous. 

Dolphins Player to Watch 

Since the Patriots give up an average 297 passing yards per game, all eyes will be on Matt Moore. He didn't get the chance to play against New England the first time, but Henne did have over 400 yards, meaning Moore should have a good game as well.

If the Dolphins are going to win this game, it will come down to the play of Moore. He's been doing a decent job as the starter, but now is the time to elevate his game to new heights and prove to the organization he can beat the top teams.

Patriots Player to Watch 

Since he had a record breaking performance in the first game, the player to watch has to be Tom Brady. It's been a fantastic season for Brady, and many are intrigued if he can throw for over 500 yards again. 

If he does, Brady will have passed Dan Marino's record for most passing yards in a single season. This might be something he shoots for since everyone has been talking about Drew Brees breaking it. Brady plays two days before Brees does, so you know he'd love to break the record before Brees has the chance to do so, especially since Brady is playing Marino's old team. 

Brees only needs to throw for just over 300 yards, which shouldn't be difficult for him because he's done so for five straight games now. We'll see if Brady pushes hard to beat out Brees. It certainly won't be easy, though, but we do know that it's possible. 

Key Matchup 

The Dolphins secondary has to find a way to limit Brady. They're not going to be able to shut him down, though, so preventing him from a monster performance is the key for the Dolphins to be able to hang around. 

Miami's secondary has had its ups and downs this season, but in order to feel like it's truly accomplished something this season, the Dolphins have to find a way to slow down Brady's rocket arm. 

Prediction 

Patriots 38, Dolphins 28