Last week during Thursday Night Football, the New England Patriots suffered their third loss of the season, falling 30-24 to the Bears in Chicago. New England’s AFC East rival, the Miami Dolphins, picked up their first win of the 2026 season under new head coach Jeff Hafley, beating the New York Jets 28-25 in a gritty win. Both the Patriots and Dolphins will meet for the first time this season this Sunday, November 1st, at 4:25 p.m. EST. Can Miami shock New England and pick up their second win at home, or will the Patriots be able to move to 5-3 and continue striding toward being a top team in the AFC?
Yesterday, it was reported that Patriots receiver A.J. Brown did not practice due to his lingering ankle injury, in addition to a knee issue. Ian Rapoport reported that the three-time Pro Bowler’s status for Sunday’s game is "up in the air”. With wide receiver Romeo Doubs suffering a shoulder injury during New England’s Week Six win over the Jets, and Mack Hollins still dealing with a calf injury from the win over the Buffalo Bills in Week Four, the Patriots are now limited at receiver. DeMario Douglas led the wide receiver drills, with Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III next in line. With the injuries this Patriots team is currently dealing with, the defense must be elite and play their best brand of football as the weeks move on with tougher opponents in the way.
During Miami’s first win of the season, running back Ollie Gordon II rushed for over 100 yards while recording a touchdown. Quarterback Malik Willis threw two touchdown passes to receiver Caleb Douglas, who finished the game with 70 receiving yards. Defensively, safety Michael Taaffe got an interception during the second quarter, while defensive end Malik Herring recorded a sack in the third quarter against Jets quarterback Geno Smith. The Dolphins will need big plays on both sides of the ball if they want to be a tougher team like the Patriots and win a second game this season.
New England must rely on their defense the entire game. Running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson must play a crucial role this week and step up, whether that be on the ground or making catches. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye must be as effective with throwing the ball as he was last season, even with limited receivers; that means trying to make the best pass possible every time around, even if it’s for a short gain. For the Dolphins, both sides of the ball need to be on point. Willis, Gordon II, and the receiving core must have a solid outing, and the defense needs to make big stops and huge plays. This game will come down to New England’s consistency on offense and whether Miami’s defense can stop Maye and the Dolphins offense can overcome the Patriots’ top-tier defense.
Although New England is without Doubs, Hollins, and potentially Brown, they should still be able to get the win on the road. The offense may struggle because of the newish receivers on the field; however, the Patriots’ defense should be able to get the team over the hump on Sunday. Miami may surprise us and make this game competitive, but in the full 60 minutes, it should be New England coming out on top. I expect the Patriots to move to 5-3 with a score of 21-10.
