New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins: Top 5 Matchups in NFL Week 17
By Hal Bent
1. New England Pass Rushers vs Miami Offensive Line
Sorry for the generic title, but the Patriots lack that one superstar pass rusher and instead rotate in four defensive ends almost equally throughout the game. They will line these pass rushers up anywhere on obvious passing situations including inside at defensive tackle and sometimes dropping Rob Ninkovich to linebacker.
With defensive end Chandler Jones traded to Arizona in the offseason, the Patriots have used a team approach to replace his prodigious production. Second-year pass rusher Trey Flowers has blossomed (flowers-blossomed, get it?) this season and leads New England with seven sacks. Jabaal Sheard has five, Chris Long has four, and Rob Ninkovich also has four sacks (all statistics from Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise noted).
The Patriots’ pass rushers have a tough battle against a Miami offensive line which has kept Matt Moore upright the last two weeks allowing just one sack. For the season, they have allowed just 30 sacks after allowing 45 sacks last season. Even without Pro Bowl center Mike Pouncey the Dolphins have done well as a unit.
The Dolphins’ offensive line has kept Ryan Tannehill upright and with Matt Moore stepping in for the rest of the season and playoffs, the offense has not skipped a beat. Center Kraig Urbik has done well filling in for Pouncey and former tackles Laremy Tunsil (first round pick and future left tackle) and Jermon Bushrod have been solid at guard.
Veteran Brandon Albert has been a steadying influence at left tackle while Ja’Wuan James has found his niche at right tackle. James was picked in the first round in 2014 as the left tackle of the future but inexplicably struggled on the left side while excelling on the right side. With Tunsil dropping in the first round to Miami this past year they have their replacement for Albert.
New England’s defense has stepped up in the second half of the season once they started generating pressure. That will not be easy against Miami this week. The defense may struggle if they cannot get past Miami’s strong offensive line.