3 Dolphins players Patriots should be ready to get revenge on in Week 18
By Mike Luciano
The New England Patriots will close out the season against Brian Flores and the Miami Dolphins with an outside chance to take home an AFC East division crown. New England may have wrapped up that title already if Tua Tagovailoa and Miami didn’t sneak out of Foxborough with a win thanks to a Damien Harris fumble in Week 1.
Miami might be the most frustrating team in the league to play against. Tagovailoa rarely throws downfield, yet this dink and dunk offense continues to succeed. The Dolphins were in the playoff hunt right up until last week following a 1-7 start, for which Tua and Flores should get some credit.
Miami would like nothing more than to make sure New England ends up on the road in the Wild Card round, which will likely happen if the Dolphins can take care of business. The Patriots need to stomp Miami down in order to prevent that from happening.
New England needs to focus on these three Dolphins players if they want to get revenge for the season opener and potentially earn a game in Foxborough during the first round of the playoffs. Shutting these guys down could lead to an easy Patriot victory to close out the regular season.
3 Dolphins the Patriots should be ready to get revenge on.
3. LB Jerome Baker
Baker has blossomed into one of the best linebackers in the AFC after a slow start to his career. In the last two seasons, the former Ohio State star has recorded almost 200 tackles, 12.5 sacks, and an interception. Baker is at his best in run defense, which presents a challenge for New England. Back in Week 1, he led all defenders with 12 tackles (nine of which were solo).
While Mac Jones is capable of winning games with his arm, Belichick clearly wants to power through defenses on the ground with Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson. Look for New England to get the run established early in this game.
Harris has been red hot since that miscue early in the year, running for 14 touchdowns on the season. Stevenson was picked in the fourth round, but the Oklahoma product has already tallied 572 yards and five touchdowns on the season. Even with the offensive line less than 100% healthy, Baker will be tested now that the Patriots have found their groove.
One of Josh McDaniels’ best traits as a coordinator is making sure that any potential weaknesses in the defense are exposed early and often. If the Patriots get downhill with their big backs against a much smaller Dolphins defense, they should be able to take home a victory in this contest.