Kickoff: The Patriots are taking on the Dolphins in Miami today. This is the second meeting between the two teams this season. The Dolphins won the first meeting between the two teams on October 6th, 15-10 at Gillette Stadium. Miami was without Tua Tagovailoa in that game. He is playing today. Tagovailoa is 6-0 all time in his career against the Patriots.

Here are keys to the game for the Patriots.

1st Down: Throw Tagovailoa off his spot: The Patriots front seven needs to throw Tagovailoa off his spot. Tua leads the NFL with a 73.4% completion percentage. Get him off his read and get him on the move. When he’s allowed to hang in the pocket and get the ball out on time, he is tough to defend.

2nd Down: Picking up the blitz: The Patriots will get a heavy dose of pressure from the Dolphins today. New England has given up pressure on a league high 55% of their drop backs. The fact that more teams do not come after Drake Maye is remarkable. Expect Miami to pressure him a lot. This will be the first time they are seeing him. DC Anthony Weaver will get after him. Blitz pick up and protection adjustments will be key today. 

3rd Down: Run off-tackle: The Patriots have to attack Miami outside in the running game. Power plays, counter plays, outside zone and toss are good ways to get Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson outside and on Miami’s run support defenders.

4th Down: Get off to a good start: Miami has been the Patriots road kryptonite through the years. One of the reasons they have struggled so much is they tend to fall behind early when playing in Miami. They need to get off start today, score first and put some pressure on the Dolphins. The Patriots cannot afford to fall behind and trail right out of the gate.

Extra Point: The Patriots are are 17-42 in road games against the Dolphins. The Patriots have lost their last four games played in Miami.

Miami earned its 15th series sweep last season with a 24-17 win at Gillette Stadium on Dec. 17, 2023, and a 31-17 win at Hard Rock Stadium on Oct. 29, 2023.

Final Drive: Miami has been a house of horror for the Patriots for years. The key as always is to get off to a good start. If they do, they have a shot at getting a win. A slow start on the other hand could spell doom. The good news. Maye has never faced the Dolphins before. He doesn’t know any better. He might play lights out and give the Patriots a chance to pick a rare road win against the Dolphins.