W2W4: New England Patriots vs Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football
By Hal Bent
Summary & Game Score Prediction:
Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
The renaissance in Miami has more to do with a reinvigorated Wake and solid production out of Ndamukong Suh after both of them struggling in the first four games of the season. Wake had four sacks against Tennessee and then another pair of sacks against Houston last week. Suh had two sacks against Houston as well and continued to make an impact inside.
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The dramatic Dolphins turnaround came after head coach Joe Philbin was fired and fiery former tight ends coach Dan Campbell was promoted over offensive coordinator Bill Lazor to serve as interim head coach. Campbell has been simplifying the complex offense and reactive defense and letting the Dolphins players be aggressive and let their natural talents shine.
The Dolphins have a true test after beating up on the 1-5 Titans and 2-5 Texans (whose only wins were over Tennessee and Jacksonville) as they face the undefeated Patriots. New England’s offense is first in scoring averaging 35.5 yards per game and the defense has been better than expected despite their losses in the secondary.
GAME SCORE PREDICTION: Patriots 34 – Dolphins 19