5 things to watch for Sunday's Patriots-Dolphins game

Patriots

The Patriots are dealing with some serious injuries, but the Dolphins have the lowest scoring offense in the NFL.

By Khari Thompson, The Boston Globe

October 5, 2024 | 4:34 p.m

After a promising start to the season, the Patriots are weakening. They enter Sunday's contest against the Dolphins on a three-game losing streak. The last two losses to the Jets and 49ers were not very competitive.

Miami has dominated the series against the Patriots in recent years, winning seven of the last nine games. The Dolphins are 3-1 against the Patriots under coach Mike McDaniel.

However, Miami is struggling without quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was placed on injured reserve in mid-September after suffering a concussion.

There is no team that scores fewer points than the Patriots and Dolphins Miami (11 points per game) is last in the league, and the Patriots (13) are second to last.

Here are five things to keep an eye on as both teams try to break out of their scoring slump.

1. Dolphins receiver

Miami's Tyreek Hill had seven catches for 130 yards and a touchdown in the team's season opener against Jacksonville after he was arrested and handcuffed by police during a traffic stop on the way to the game.

The eight-time Pro Bowler hasn't reached the end zone since. He was limited to 29 yards per game in Miami's last three games. Jaylen Waddle, who has three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, hasn't had a catch of more than 21 yards since Week 1.

Generating pass rush pressure will be crucial for the Patriots as they attempt to contain Miami's speedy receivers. The Patriots struggled to keep quarterbacks in the pocket, and that proved dangerous as Aaron Rodgers and Brock Purdy bought a lot of time with their legs.

The last thing the Patriots want is to give Tyler Huntley time to get Hill and Waddle involved.

2. The Patriots' ability to snap the ball

Patriots coach Jerod Mayo announced this week that center David Andrews is expected to undergo shoulder surgery and be out for the season.

Nick Leverett, who started 10 games for the Buccaneers in 2022 as a blocker for Tom Brady, filled in for Andrews last week. According to Pro Football Focus, Leverett did not allow any pressure or hits from the quarterback.

“I thought Nick did a good job filling in there last game,” Mayo said. “And now that he’s doing more reps during practice, you can expect him to get better every day.”

Grabbing the ball without Andrews was a problem for the Patriots in the preseason, but Leverett didn't seem to have much trouble with it last week.

The majority of Leverett's NFL experience is at guard, but he and Jacoby Brissett will need to communicate well in Andrews' absence.

“I always say you want to see the same picture,” Mayo said. “It starts with the center and it starts with the quarterback.

“So it's definitely important to be on the same page, identify the mic spots and all those things. With that being said, Nick, he can do it. He’s proven he can do it and hopefully he continues to get better.”

3. Body language under pressure

Two Patriots receivers showed signs of frustration in last Sunday's loss to the 49ers.

DeMario Douglas apologized Wednesday for throwing his hands in the air and jumping up and down after games.

Mayo was asked if Douglas and freshman Ja'Lynn Polk showed their emotions on the field.

“As a team, we don’t want to show or voice our frustrations on the field in such a visible way for everyone to see,” Mayo said. “Look, it’s good to have guys that want to go out there and make plays, guys that want to go out there and compete. It's a natural human instinct to get frustrated when things don't go your way.

“Look, as a team things aren't going well at the moment and am I frustrated? Absolutely. But I understand that we still have a lot of work to do. It's the first quarter of the season. Now we’re heading into the second quarter of the season and hopefully we’ll get better.”

4. Enhancements by IR

The Patriots will add receiver Kendrick Bourne and safety Marte Mapu to the roster for Sunday's game.

Those players were eligible to return this week after beginning the season on injured reserve.

They could all help bolster position groups that are struggling or affected by injuries.

Bourne was the Patriots' leading receiver at the time of his injury last year. Takitaki started seven games last season and made 65 tackles at middle linebacker for the Browns. The Patriots lost center fielder Ja'Whaun Bentley for the season due to a pectoral injury. Mapu could provide more depth behind Kyle Dugger, who left Sunday's game with an ankle injury.

5. Antonio Gibson's role

Mayo said earlier this week that he was considering benching Rhamondre Stevenson because of his fumbling issue. Stevenson has fumbled in all four games this season.

Meanwhile, Gibson has yet to fumble and is averaging 5.3 yards per carry.

Gibson's most productive season came in 2021, when he surpassed the 1,000-yard mark with the Commanders.

So far, Stevenson has been the primary defender on this offense. However, Gibson has both the longest rush (45 yards against the Seahawks) and longest catch (50 yards against the 49ers) by a Patriots player this season.

He could get a few more touches this week and it's an opportunity to see what he can do with it.