5 Bold Predictions for the Patriots against the Dolphins
By Fran Brown
The 2022 NFL season is officially here after the Rams and Bills opened up last night. As the Patriots finalize preparations for Sunday’s opener in Miami, here are my 5 predictions for what we might see in Week 1.
Mac Jones throws for over 250 yards
A lot has been said of the Patriots’ offensive struggles during the preseason, but even with question marks on the offensive line and at receiver, I think Mac Jones can eclipse the 250-yard mark in Week 1.
With their struggles running the ball in the preseason, I can see the Patriots leaning on the second-year quarterback coming out throwing, especially if they fall behind early. In two games against the Dolphins last season, Jones averaged 271 passing yards against a tough secondary led by Pro Bowl corner Xavien Howard.
DeVante Parker catches a touchdown
After spending the first 7 years of his career in Miami, Parker finds himself in New England after an offseason trade. I can definitely see the Patriots throwing his way early and often as they try to get the newcomer involved in the offense.
At 6-3, Parker provides Jones with a great target who can be utilized in the redzone. For his career, Parker has seen16 of his 24 touchdowns come in the red area.
Rhamondre Stevenson has more total yards than Damien Harris
After the retirement of James White and the injury to Ty Montgomery in the preseason finale, there seems to be a void when it comes to who will be the 3rd down back on the Patriots. With Harris entrenched as the lead back, it looks like Stevenson will get the first opportunity in the passing game.
Unlike White, however, Stevenson is highly effective between the tackles and can be used to spell Harris. In fact, Stevensen outgained Harris 470 to 382 on the ground during the second half of last season.
The Patriots hold Tyreek Hill under 80 yards receiving
The first two times Hill faced the Patriots, he torched them to the tune of 14 receptions for 274 yards and 4 touchdowns. However, in the last 3 matchups, Hill has not surpassed 64 yards in any of the 3 games.
As I touched upon in my “3 Key Matchups to Watch in Week 1,” the Patriots used a combination of Jonathan Jones and Devin McCourty to cover Hill in the first matchup before allowing Jones to handle Hill by himself in the last two. Expect more of that on Sunday, especially if you read between the lines of what Devin McCourty had to say at practice today.
Kyle Dugger leads the team in tackles
Expectations are big for the third-year safety in 2022 after a strong 2021 campaign, and I expect him to be around the ball a lot. With Miami’s offensive line, stable of running backs and head coach Mike McDaniel’s background, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Dolphins run the ball quite a bit against this Patriot front.
With an emphasis on getting faster, I can see Dugger playing much closer to the line as almost a hybrid safety-linebacker so that he can make more plays in the running game.